Ancient Maya Essay

Ancient Maya Essay
Ancient Maya The ancient Maya were a group of American Indian peoples who lived in Southern Mexico. Their descendants, the modern Maya,live
in the same regions today. Agriculture was the basis of the economy of the Mayan and corn was the principal food.(Voorhies 324) Other crops
included avocados, tomatoes, and chili peppers. They cultivated an enormous variety of plants.(Foley 20) In hieroglyphic writing, astronomy, and
mathematics, the Mayan Indians were far ahead of any other people in the New World.(Foley 20) The Mayan invented a solar "civil" calendar
including three hundred sixty– five days.(Ivanoff 86) The accuracy of the Mayan calculations is all the more extraordinary in view of the fact that they
had no...show more content...
As population rose, the nobles of the independent city states both intermarried and made war on one another. Ultimately, the system of rule that
had served the Maya for centuries had failed. Faced with famine, foreign invasion, chronic warfare, and perhaps disease, an era ended what is
generally called the Classic Maya collapse. Although writing in the New World did not originate among the Maya, they gave writing its greatest
refinements.(Miller)What Mayan writing seems to represent is a sacred language used only by the elite, initiated, and known only by them. The
language of the Mayan was identical with that of the Yucatan Indians, given the fact that writing was identical. The Maya kept records on large
stone monuments called stelae. They used the Steele to record important dates and to take note of great events in the lives of their rulers.(Price
91)They also used the stelae to recount the positions of the "heavenly bodies"_ particularly the Moon, Venus, and Jupiter.(Miller)The men and the
older boys did most of the farm work. They also did most of the hunting and fishing. The women and older girls made family clothes and prepare the
meals. The Maya made small sculptures of clay and carved huge ones from stone. Some of the large sculptures stood over thirty feet high.( Voorhies
326) Early Classic stone sculpture usually features a single Maya ruler celebrating his reign.Many fine
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Mayan Calendar Essay
Throughout the years, many different cultures have created many different calendars. Each culture like the Mayans and Egyptians and others have all
used celestial bodies to help determine the months and years. Each culture has their way of using the celestial bodies to create a calendar because they
had different methods of calculating the time. Having a calendar helped them keep track of seasonal and celestial events and on predicting eclipses and
moon phases.
Originally, the calendars were constructed by ancient civilizations by using the celestial bodies in which the Sun, Moon, planets, and stars were used as
references to calculate the time and to determine seasons, months, and years. Every culture has kept track of time in their own...show more content...
The walls have written and paintings on them which, include the calculations of the Mayan Calendar which many people believe their calculation
prophesies the "end of the world" which the archaeologist have confirmed not to be true. In Xultun, they have discovered paintings, which according to
William Saturno states, "Maya paintings are incredibly rare, not because the Maya didn't paint them often, but because they rarely preserve in the
tropical environment of Guatemala." These paintings contain illustrations. The first painting has a king wearing a royal outfit that contains feathers
and a man kneeling beside the king holding a stylus possible being a scribe. Underneath the painting, there is a label that could be translated to,
"Younger Brother Obsidian" or "Junior Obsidian." The next painting has three men wearing feathered headdresses and medallions which also have a
label translated to, "Older Brother Obsidian" or "Senior Obsidian." The paintings weren't the only things found, a wall filled with calculation was also
found. The wall was filled with charts of numbers representing bars and dots. Maya astronomers, priests, and mathematicians at the time used to
calculate the moon ages to create the Mayan Calendar and to predict the next eclipses from observing the heavens. Mayan calculation

Mayan Civilizations
Many ancient civilizations had noteworthy accomplishments, specifically in Mesoamerica three civilizations had many great feats in the time of which
they prospered. These imposing civilizations were the Mayans, who were cultured with advancements in mathematics and sciences. The Aztec who had
a detailed understanding of the trade. And lastly the Incas who developed vast road and irrigation channels that connected their empire. The Mayan
civilization had a highly advanced society which made substantial advances in mathematics, sciences as well as architecture. In the capital city of Tikal
(present day Guatemala) they built five major pyramids whose heights ranged from one hundred and thirty–eight feet to more than two hundred feet.
Some of...show more content...
The warlike Aztec people were also renowned conquerors and the capital city of Tenochtitlan grew rapidly due to tributes from conquered peoples.
With the city growing at such a rapid rate it drew in people looking for jobs and trade therefore increasing the population to an almost unheard of count
of four hundred thousand people, making Tenochtitlan the largest city inMesoamerica. When the Spanish conquistadors arrived, they were
dumbfounded by the well structured markets and the sheer amount of people who could be found buying and selling goods there. The markets sold
almost everything that could be produced by the peoples of the time these items include but are not limited to food products, valuable metals such as
gold and silver, and also animal bones, shells and feathers. Tenochtitlan was considered one of the greatest cities in mesoamerica not only because of
it's methodical trade squares but also because of the unseen ways that the early peoples developed farming and also the organized grid like structure
of which the city was set up. The people used a method of farming that involved bed of soil that "floated" on the water, these beds were called
Chinampas and they were the main way that the Aztecs cultivated crops for the

Mayan Achievements Essay
The most remarkable achievement of the Maya is their number system. However from all of their achievements I feel the less but still important
ones was the cities and buildings they built, their trade network, and their calendar. The reason to why their number system is truly their most
remarkable achievement is because it would already be hard to make a number and then have to give it a name of what you or anyone would call it.
Not only did they make their own number system, but they also understood. It can be very difficult to make your own language or number system and
understand it. It is also very remarkable because at their time not a lot of cultures had the knowledge of the zero, they did. The reason I feel that their
calendar

Mayan Astronomy Essay
Before advanced technology, the Mayan observed the "Seven Stars" Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn using positional and
horizon astronomy just like the Greeks and Mesopotamians before them. Although the Mayans observations were made with the naked eye they still
had many interpretations associated with the sun and moon. They also independently discovered octa eteris, a mesh between eight solar years with
five Venus cycles of 584 days and 99 lunar months. Mayan warfare was also scheduled to get the most astrological benefits. To the Mayan astronomy
was a sacred activity.
One of the many scientific discoveries that have influenced today's society is the invention of the cell phone. In 1876 an older male with the name of
Alexander...show more content...
This nebula is about 1/3 of a light–year thick, and five light–years across. Most nebulae are shaped are more sphere shaped and most commonly a
butterfly shape. Abella 39 is one extremely rare cases in which the geometry is much simpler. Thisstar, unlike its usual common shape is in the form of
a cat eye. This star is off center in the constellation about one tenth of a light–year.
Hercules is one of the largest constellations but doesn't have many brightly lit stars which makes is hard to see in cities. This constellation is better
viewed with the naked eye because of how dull its stars are. Hercules is located in the southern hemisphere. Hercules contains a cluster of over
500,000 stars called the M–13 cluster. In mythology Hercules was believed to kill the Dragon, the guardian of the garden of Hesperides.
In the winter me and my family like to take a short trip to Jupiter because of its nice, hot weather. The vacation is always fun, but we try to stay
away from the big red spot. It's always stormy there!! It's only 5 planets away from the sun so my tan comes out very nicely and i show it off when i
get back to Earth. We always drive to the moons too, they're smaller and not as hot so i don't sunburnt and we like to explore each community. It's a
great time every

Mayan Culture Essay
Maya, a beautiful, noble, mysterious name 'what kind of brilliant achievements have ever had? Even the Maya predicted that the end of 2012
doomsday have caused panic around the world. However, it is such a strong civilization that seems to have evaporated from this earth overnight. Let
people have deep curiosity on Mayan culture! Let us work together to understand more Maya it.
It is said that the Maya people started to construct religious buildings before the year 1000 AD. The earliest relics consisted of simpleearth mounds and
later evolved into pyramids. Early Mayan culture seemed to be influenced by earlier Olmec civilizations. After their civilization was spread to today's
Yucatan Peninsula, the Olmek civilization fell through its demise. 200 BC to 800 AD is the most...show more content...
The most prominent of these are the pyramids and royal palaces built in the religious center. Other important archaeological remains are the carved
slate, which are written in hieroglyphs to describe the genealogy, the victory of the war, and other accomplishments. Palenque is the most beautiful
Mayan city in classical times, and even people call it "Athens of America". Another famous city is Copan. From the point of view of modern ruins,
Tikal, Copan and Palenque can be regarded as the largest three city states in the classical Mayan civilization. From the ninth century AD, the Mayan
culture in the classical era of the sudden sudden decline at the same time, the reason is still the subject of historians. Between the 10th and the 11th
centuries AD, the once flourishing Mayan cities were abandoned and covered by jungles. Since then, with the rise of Chichen–Iza, some Mayan city
states have emerged in the northern savannah of the Yucatan Peninsula, beginning the classical period after the Mayan culture in history. The regime of
the city of Chichen Itza was overthrown in 1221 AD, followed by a city–state alliance led by Maya Pan. In 1441, the Mayan Pen

The Mayan Empire Essay
The Mayan Empire
The Mayan Empire was one of the most innovative and interesting civilizations. It was an ancient civilization that was one of the most advanced and
innovative ones. They inhabited the Yucatan peninsula and the empire lasted for about 3500 years ending around the year 1500 AD. It is considered
the greatest civilization among the original cultures of the western hemisphere.
The empire was located in what is now known as Central America. They lived in the area that is now Belize, Honduras, Mexico, andGuatemala. The
whole are lies south of the tropic of cancer, and north of the equator. It contained over 120,000 sq miles, which is the about the size of Great Britain,
or a little bit smaller than California. It is...show more content...
The climate is very hot from May to August and rainy through the rest of the year, so the farmers have a lot of free time to serve the king. This
serving time helped make the amazing developments from the Maya.
By far, the major innovations and skills were in astronomy. Mayan priests would consistently take measurements using tools such as a forked stick.
Using their amazing astronomical knowledge, they were able to predict future eclipses. They were also able to chart the complex motions of the sun
and other astronomical bodies. Using this knowledge, they designed a calendar that was the most complex and accurate of all ancient calendars. In
fact, it was only 19 minutes per year off from the actual calendar. It even contained month and week divisions. One of these months was only five days
long, called the Wayeb, and was considered unlucky.
In mathematics, the Mayans were quite intelligent. They developed a number system using a combination of dots and bars. These dots and bars were
stacked together in piles of twenty, with the dot meaning one and the bar meaning five. They also made the original discovery of the number zero. This
is a very important development.
They also developed an advanced system of writing similar to Egyptian Hieroglyphics. They contained over 800 signs, and each one usually
represented an entire word. It was a very visual language and the meaning of the sign reflected what it looked like. Their writing was highly
sophisticated; only

The Ancient Maya Essay
The Maya of Mesoamerica, along with the Aztecs of Mexico and the Incas of Peru, made up the high civilizations of the American Indians at the time
of the Spanish conquest. Both the Aztecs and the Incas were late civilizations, between 1300–1533 AD, but the Maya of the Yucatan and Guatemala
exhibited a cultural continuity spanning more than 2,000 years, 1000 BC–AD 1542. Many aspects of this culture continue yet today. The Ancient
Maya in their time had actually refined writing. They had an extensive written language, which was both phonetic as well as ideographic. One of only
five independently created writing systems in human history. Maya words were in hieroglyphs, each picture with its own meaning. Unlike other ancient
...show more content...
The gods were modeled after animals for sacrificial purposes and religious ceremonies. The ancient Maya had many beliefs. They had possessed
an in depth understanding of astronomy, engineering, and mathematics. The Maya believed that the Sun, Moon, and other planets, had been
journeys of the gods. The Mayan priests studied their measurement of time. The Maya had a calendar with 18 months each containing 20 days,
plus 5 unlucky days that made up the Mayan year. They also had a religious calendar that had 260 days in it. Each day was given a name and a
number. They believed that each day was a god that carried the weight of the day on its back. The Mayan civilization in all stages has been based on
agriculture. Indian corn or maize was domesticated from a wild grass in central Mexico about 7,000 years ago and sustained most sedentary Indian
civilizations from that time. In the humid areas, a surplus of water and rapid growth of trees and vines encouraged the slash–and–burn farming method.
The farmer cleared the cornfield by cutting bushes and girdling the trees, usually near the end of the rainy season, allowing the piled brush to dry
under the hot sun of the dry season. It is known that the Mayas enjoyed chocolate. They had it in many forms from a frothy drink to a pulpy mush.
The Mayas referred to chocolate as "The Drink of the Gods." They had other food such as cornmeal, maize, black

The Fall of the Mayan Empire Essay
The fall of the Mayan Empire The collapse of the Mayan Empire is one of history's greatest mysteries. It was one of the most advanced and developed
civilizations of its time period, reining during the Pre–Classic period and into the Classic and Post–Classic Periods (2000 B.C. – 900 A.D.). The
territory stretched from the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, down to modern day El Salvador in Central America. Its achievements were monumental for
the era, being the first empire communicating with the use of a written language having over 800 symbols and producing the first 365 day calendar.
They maintained an in–depth understanding of astrological cycles that would assist in planning harvesting cycles and predicting solar eclipses. The
Mayan's...show more content...
They have found iconographic elements and works of pottery and tools that are not consistent with the Classic Mayan model, suggesting that foreign
invaders drove the Mayan's from the region . However, most scientists believe this phenomenon to be a symptom rather than a cause, and say this
theory is highly debatable. With the vast number of Mayan people, coupled with its historical resilience, it seems unlikely that a singular military
force could wipe out the entire region. Many who reject this theory believe it was not solely foreign controversy. Internal conflict coupled with
outside invaders could have ultimately led to the fall of the empire. Although some scientists believe that it was not warfare at all that caused the
decline. Another highly analyzed theory is the "Epidemic Diseases Theory". This theory postulates that widespread disease crippled the region and
led to rapid depopulation, although there is speculation about the exact type of disease. James Brewbaker believes that the disease originated from
the corn in the lowland regions of the area. In his article in Economic Botany, he writes, "the maize mosaic virus (MMV), is proposed as the
contributing cause of the collapse" . This is a devastating virus that is transmitted from insects of the tropic lowlands into the corn. It is fairly
conclusive that the insects of the region spread this illness, although the exact disease is not known. They

The Mayan Civilization
The Mayan Civilization at its height was one of the greatest civilization to ever reign on the planet. Their advances in astronomy and mathematics
well in advance has helped present civilizations to prosper. But one of the great questions is what happened to the Mayans? Why did they collapse?
What caused them to collapse? It is a question that had gone unanswered for decades until some of the worlds great historians and scientist finally
concluded to three reasons why the Mayan Civilization collapsed. The Mayans Collapse was fast and occurred due to Deforestation and Climate
Change, Overpopulation, and Internal and Exterior Rivalry. The Classical Maya was lost to the archaeological records until the last 200 years due to
it's abandonment. When the Mayans left there great cities, thick vines and jungles overtook the great monuments they once built. But in the last 200
years, in depth research has lead to breakthroughs into what the Classic Maya was like. The earliest Mayans were agriculturalist, growing crops such
as corn (maize), beans, squash and cassava. The Mayans also invented a very accurate calendar, a math code using 0's, constructed buildings still intact
today, and a writing system that took decades to decode. The Mayans were situated in one geographical block covering all of the Yucatan Peninsula
(Mexico), modern–day Guatemala, Belize, parts of the Mexican states of Tabasco and Chiapas, and the western part of Honduras and El Salvador. Due
to their location on the

The Mayans Essay
The Mayans The ancient Mayan civilization settled in the Yucatan Peninsula in around 900 AD. This civilizations was one of the most advanced of
its times. They created their own religion, language, mathematical structure, a very precise calendar, and many other things. The Mayan way of life
revolved their religion. They had a polytheistic religion praising many gods. Each god had a certain thing that they would rule over or take care of.
Chac was the god of rain, Kinich Ahau was the sun god, and Yum Cimil was the god of the underworld. There were many gods and goddess for
almost every reason one could think of, there is even a goddess of suicide. They would perform human sacrifices, bleeding rituals, and dances to praise
and to...show more content...
The children in upper class families would be taught many different skills, whereas the commoners' children would just learn the skill of their
parents. The children would continue to live with their parents until the got married. There were many regulations about sex and marriage.
Homosexuality and inbreeding was strictly forbidden. If they practiced those they would become an outcast. There was also no marriage outside the
classes unless the chief of the district approved it. The Mayans were also were technologically advanced. They used their own math system. One dot
stood for one, a bar symbolized five, and a shell figure was zero. The numbers were expressed vertically with the highest on top. The also created a
very precise calendars. Two different calendars were calculated 260–day and a 365–day. They were able to calculate the dates because at noon time
there was no shadow. This was important for them to use in predicting eclipses, scheduling religious ceremonies, and when to plant and harvest.
Agriculture and trade were the basis of the economy. A wide variety of things were grown. The predominate crop was maize. However, beans,
squash, pumpkin, chili peppers, tomatoes, frijol, yucca, cocoa, tobacco, avocado, and sapota were grown and traded. The goods were taken to major
cities and traded for things like cloth, jade, pottery, fish, deer meat, and also salt. All of these were traded by canoe. They also domesticated dogs and

The Mayans Essay
The Mayan civilization was a bountiful society that flourished from around 300 BCE and ended around 900 CE, their most ~~ time known as the
Classic Period. During their time, they not only ~, but invented many ~~ that some are even used today. They are well known for creating the first
writing system, cuneiform, the concept of zero, calendars, mathematics, the length of the solar year at about 365.242 days, and ball–courts for sports.
The Mayan people were the direct descendants from another group of people called the Olmecs, who lived from around 1200 BCE to 400 BCE.
Though their original name is unknown, researchers have dubbed them the "Olmecs", meaning "the rubber people", taken after the indigenous rubber
trees found in the area in which...show more content...
The Mayans, as mentioned before, were never unified, and constantly warred with each other. With rapidly growing amounts of people and already
existing tensions, there is a very fair possibility that large wars may have started breaking down the society, leaving them open for invaders as well.
The government holding the areas together may have begun to diminish and eventually the whole structure of the civilization would have been
destroyed. As religion was such an immensely dominating part of the Maya society, tensions would have also affected priests who dealt with the main
religious practices, including the use of traditional rituals, ceremonies, or worshiping their gods. This could've caused lack of faith, or ~), adding to
the strain of the society and making everything chaotic. There is also evidence of tensions arising from changing trade routes, once from land to going
across the sea, probably another effect of the shifting climate. Researchers discovered in a
Yet another theory of the Mayan's fall is that conflict from within their civilization didn't destroy the people, but rather it might've been destroyed from
the outside, possibly by invaders from their close neighbors Mexico who may have invaded for ~~and either (massacred everyone?) or caused
everyone to flee? The last Mayan civilizations were

Mayan Beliefs And Beliefs
Maya's expressed their beliefs through art and architecture,they felt as if it would make them closer to their God.Humans were sacrificed to appease the
rain gods.Humans were sacrificed in different ways including getting pushed in a sinkhole,and getting their heart cut out while they were wide awake
they would use the human blood as an incense,because they thought the smoke would carry their request to God.Cenote Sagrado haves many beliefs
including there were two dimensions,which is the otherworld,which includes the gods,and the other dimension is the human world.The two dimensions
existed among three realms the heavens or upper world which is home of the celestial gods,the earth or middle world which is home of the Maya,and
the underworld

Ancient Maya Essay

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