The Rise of Maya Civilization

Building a Civilization in the Rainforest What do you see here? Think about the landscape. What do you think the weather is like here? Think about the structures. What are they made out of? Why were they built? What were they used for?

Challenges of the Rain Forest Classic Maya settled in Guatemala Dense rain forest made farming difficult Climate – hot & humid Depended on seasonal rainfall for water Very little surface water due to limestone bedrock – rain soaked right through

City Centers Built huge ceremonial centers and city states at different sites At Tikal, built Temple I – a 130 foot high step pyramid

Classic Maya Adaptations Used slash & burn techniques to farm in rain forest along with system of raised fields and irrigated gardens Created irrigation networks to support urban centers Planted and harvested corn, squash, beans and other crops in fields

Pre-classic Period Sedentary lifestyle Developed farming

Classic Period Greatest era of building, writing, and sculpture

Post-Classic Period Increased warfare

Maya Social and Political Organization What are these people wearing? What might be happening? What makes some different from others? Why do you think their differences are important to the artist who painted the mural?

Lord Was considered a god-king Responsible for political leadership Lords mostly men, but women had great influence on political decisions

Nobles Lived near ceremonial center and helped lords run cities Gathered taxes, supplies and labor for construction projects Served as war captains who led peasant armies during war

Priests Were powerful because they maintained favor with the gods Led religious rituals, calculated positions of stars, and treated the sick Practiced human sacrifice on a limited scale

Merchants/Artisans Merchants traded salt, cotton, fish, and animal skins for obsidian, jade quetzal feathers, copal and cocoa beans over long distances Artisans produced sculptures, codices, and murals to pay tribute to gods

Peasants Men worked in fields; women managed household Rewarded for their loyalty by being allowed to attend royal marriages and important religious ceremonies

Slaves Recruited from surplus (extra) children, war prisoners, and criminals Required to do difficult or undesirable tasks like grinding maize Not badly treated, but sometimes were killed and buried with master

Noteworthy Achievements of the Maya What are the figures doing in this picture? What sport(s) does this remind you of? What do you think the rules of the game are?

Legends Legends were recorded on stelae, urns, murals and codices No Classic Maya literature survives, but legends in Popol Vuh

What is the Popol Vuh? Only surviving (kinda) Mayan document. We do not have the original document, but do have a copy created by a Dominican Friar in the 18th century who wrote it in both it’s original text and in Spanish Passed down by Mayan royalty

What does it say? In short, it discusses early creation of the world and early legends. In it we find the first ball game played between two sets of twins (royal of course) and the Lords of the Underworld. One twin accidentally is decapitated but his twin is able to get his head back on. The Lords of the Underworld lose the ball game.

Architecture Structures not as massive as in other cultures Noted for its decorative stonework, graceful statues, intricate facades, and ornamental roofs Distinctive feature was the corbeled arch

Ball Game Splendid courts still stand at many Maya sites (Tikal, for example) Game played both for recreation and religious purpose Most historians believe that when human sacrifice was involved, it was the losers or the captain of the losing team who lost his or their heads. Carvings clearly indicate decapitation in accordance with the story from the Popul Vuh

Calendars Religious obsession with time led to development of calendars Calendars were complex systems using several interlocking cycles of time

Astronomy Had exact knowledge of moon phases Able to predict eclipses of the sun and moon

Hieroglyphics Only Native American people to develop a complete writing system Represented ideas and objects with block-like symbols or glyphs

Mathematics Sophisticated number system based on units of twenty (base 20). Written with: Bars for 5s, dots for 1s symbol for 0