MAYA CIVILIZATION

MAYA TIMELINE
Olmec Early Preclassic Maya Middle Preclassic Maya Late Preclassic Maya Early Classic Maya Late Classic Maya Post Classic Maya Colonial period Independent Mexico 1200-1000 BCE 1800-900 BCE 900-300 BCE 300 BCE - CE 250 250-600 CE 600-900 CE 900-1500 CE 1500-1800 CE 1821 to the present

MAYA GEOGRAPHY

Lowlands

West borders Pacific Ocean, fertile plain Yucatan Peninsula Cenotes (excavated caverns) for water in east granite and volcanic area of Sierra Madre (Mexican Chiapas, Guatemala, Honduras) Rich land, abundant water Concentrated settlement

Highlands

MAYA HISTORY

Did not record history or daily lives, so much of what we know comes from archaeology and European (colonial) records Many holes in our knowledge, and educated guesses

MAYA HISTORY

Never recognized themselves as one people Related dialects similar language City-states (Palenque, Copan, Chichen Itza) No king or emperor but nobility City-states tried to dominate each other (sound familiar?)

MAYA HISTORY

Olmec lived in tropical lowlands of south-central Mexico Provided basis for Mesoamerican civilizations Bloodletting, glyphs similar to Maya Distinctive art (colossal heads)

MAYA ART

Stelae carved stone monuments Rulers in elaborate costumes Often with texts that described lineage and accomplishments Headdress, ceremonial bar

MAYA ART

Pacal death mask Love of jade Pottery popular

MAYA ARCHITECTURE

Houses of poles and thatch (cool) Tikal (left) and Palenque (right)

MAYA SOCIETY

class society Caste (membership hereditary and movement rare) Little known about women, but evidence of city-state queens

Nobility Priests Warriors Craftsmen Traders Farmers Workers Slaves

MAYA CULTURE
Corn (maize), beans, squash, chilies for flavour, domesticated turkey Loved dance, music pok-a-tuk (pok-a-tok) Maya ball game Losers (including coach) sacrificed http://www.ballgame.org/main.asp

MAYA CULTURE

Pierced ears, tattoos, body painting, straight black hair, Large headdress for importance (Pacal, leader of Palenque, to right)

MAYA TRADE AND ECONOMY

Salt valued from Yucatan coast (preserve food, medicine, religious ceremonies) from north granite from low mountains of Belize Jade, volcanic glass, and obsidian from Chiapas highlands of western Guatemala Tikal and Copan middlemen cities in trade cacao

MAYA ECONOMY/TRADE

Quetzal feathers for nobility headdress Extensive trade over 1000 miles Porters carry goods (no beasts of burden)

MAYA TEHNOLOGY/INNOVATION

Calendar 260 days Also tracked solar 365 calendar

MAYA TECHNOLOGY/INNOVATION

Math based on multiples of 20 0, 1, 2 5, 6 10, 11 15, 16

MAYA WRITING

Writing 800 glyphs (picture/symbol represents an object, idea, or sound Read left to right and top to bottom Only elite could read as writing considered to be gift from the gods Wrote many books (destroyed by Spanish)

MAYA RELIGION

Driving force behind every aspect of life Public temples and household shrines Organized religion Established schedule for agriculture Polytheistic and revolved around nature (eg. Chac Rain God)

MAYA RELIGION

Priestly blood sacrifice Human sacrifice later in Post classic Period (Mexican influence) Religious festival every 20 days World 3 layers Heavens, Earth, Under(Other)world Priest dressed as jaguars , scary masks to scare demons of Underworld Belief in afterlife