MAYA TIMELINE Olmec BCE Early Preclassic Maya BCE Middle Preclassic Maya BCE Late Preclassic Maya 300 BCE - CE 250 Early Classic Maya CE Late Classic Maya CE Post Classic Maya CE Colonial period CE Independent Mexico 1821 to the present
MAYA GEOGRAPHY Lowlands Lowlands West borders Pacific Ocean, fertile plain Yucatan Peninsula Cenotes (excavated caverns) for water in east Highlands Highlands granite and volcanic area of Sierra Madre (Mexican Chiapas, Guatemala, Honduras) Rich land, abundant water Concentrated settlement
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
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
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
The Olmec First 'major' civilization in Mexico following a progressive development in Soconusco. Lived in the tropical lowlands of south-central Mexico, in the present-day states of Veracruz and Tabasco.