1. Mayan Cities, Religion, Science, and Decline

2. Mayan Cities The central part of any Mayan city was its temple.
The temple would be the city’s most extravagant building
Many temples were built as monuments to a ruler or a way of making the city look powerful (oneupmanship)
In front of a temple would be a square where sacrifices were conducted and stelea built
Stelea were pillars that listed accomplishments of kings
Around the temple would live the royal family
The closer to the temple the more important the person
Cities were in fact mainly populated by the royal family, farmers lived outside the city

3. Mayan City Construction
What do you think this is?
It is the foundation
What materials are used here?
1st layer is crushed lime stone, 2nd layer is sand, 3rd layer gravel (6 feet thick)
Why is this foundation needed?
To drain all the rain water from the city

4. Caracol – the perfect example of Mayan Drainage

5. Earthquake Proof Cities
When the plaza shook, the clay buffers would absorb the impact of the shaking foundation.
Temple
Clay Buffer
Clay Buffer
Foundation of the Plaza

6. The Chiltun – The Mayan Fridge

7. Tikal The greatest Mayan city-state
In present day Peten, Guatemala
Was the unquestioned power in the Mayan world from about 600 AD to 820 AD
Closest the Mayan world ever came to unified empire
Its greatest leader is Ah Cacao (The Chocolate Man)
Built Temple of the Giant Jaguar as his tomb
Built Temple IV to commemorate Tikal’s victory over Calakmul
Tikal is defeated by Caracol in the 9th century and the city is deserted

8. Temple IV
The Temple of the Giant Jaguar

9. Palenque The Greatest Mayan power in the Western Mayan World
Present day Chiapas, Mexico
Ruled by Pacal, one of the greatest Mayan kings
His tomb is the Temple of the Inscriptions
Temple of the Inscriptions

10. Mayan Religion
The Mayans believed the universe resembled the ceiba tree: branches represented heaven, the roots the underworld, and the soil was earthly life
The Earth was a crocodile floating in a never ending sea
Mayans practiced a polytheistic religion
Gods controlled all the forces of nature
Ch’ac: Rain God; Cu’nich’ahow: Sun God

11. The Ceiba Tree and Xibalba

12. Mayan Religion Priest would make sacrifices to appease the Gods
Sacrifices would usually happen in caves
Mayans believed that caves were the entrance to the Underworld (Xibalba)
Sacrifices would be made by royalty (the most pure blood
Either grain or blood
Human sacrifices only happened during the decline
Mayans would alter their appearances to please the Gods as well

15. Obsidian Blade
- Obsidian is volcanic glass

17. Mayan Advancements in Science
Mayans made advancements in medicine to live in the jungle
Mayans were the most advance astronomical society at that time
Astronomy – the study of space
Mayan cities all had observatories and used astronomy in city planning

18. Tikal and the Pleiades

19. Mayan Mathematics
First society to ever use a symbol to represent zero