Ancient Maya Values and Development

The Values And Development Of The Ancient Maya Civilizations
The complex societies and civilizations that the world is made up of today, were formed and shaped
by groups of smaller traditional societies of the past. These small traditional civilizations that
popped up and evolved all around the world in all sorts of different areas and locations laid the
stepping stones for life as we know it today. While the civilizations did not necessarily press their
values on others, other societies saw valuable practices and took them on themselves. One unique
traditional society that has had a lasting impact on the world is the ancient Maya civilization. What
makes the Mayans and their society a unique civilization were their economic activities, social
arrangements, and political organizations which all helped their society develop over time, thus
helped future civilizations to come to flourish using their ideas and traditions.
Traditional societies begin with a small number of people living in one particular geographical
region. Their traditions help them to achieve a flourishing society over time. They do so by passing
their ideas and practices on from one generation to the next. Some of these traditions include
cultural values and practices defined through the people group's economic activities, social
arrangements, and political organization.A traditional society flourishes using these passed on values
and practices, rather than through impact of practices from other rival or complex civilizations.
What makes the Maya civilization a
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The Origins Of The Ancient Civilization
Could you imagine the entire population of The United States just disappearing? That is what
happened to the Mayans. In a time span of only one hundred years, the whole Maya population was
wiped out. There are several theories about the cause of their decline. Due to their disappearance the
great Mayan inventions were lost in time until modern day anthropologists discovered that they
made their own calendar and language along with many other things. What anthropologists do know
for sure is that the Mayans were an ancient Mesoamerican civilization dating back to 250 B.C
"made up of more than 19 million people"(smithsonian.com). Their empire centered in the tropical
lowlands of what is now Guatemala. The Maya people reached their peak of power around the 6th
century A.D. The Mayans were successful in many ways; History.com, a website dedicated to
informing the public about important historical information, states, "The Maya excelled at
agriculture, pottery, hieroglyph writing, calendar–making and mathematics, and left behind an
astonishing amount of impressive architecture and symbolic artwork" (Maya). The Mayans were an
intelligent people, we know they created the Mayan calendar, had their own written language, they
also had their own way of building large pyramids by hand. The Maya also made paper from tree
bark and wrote in books made from this paper, these books were known as codices. Only four of
these codices are known to have survived. The Maya built many of their

Maya And Chichimeca Similarities
Nastaran Mohammadi
Art 389.01
Dr. Antonia Stamos
Fall 2017
Chichén Itzá and Tula The Postclassic period of Mexico is caring different great civilization that
happened in different time, different practises but they had many similarities. The Postclassic
civilization are the Mayan and the Toltec. The Mayan are people of Mexico and Central America,
which in modern time are Yucatán,Quintana Roo, Campeche, Tabasco, and Chiapas in Mexico and
south of Guatemala and Honduras (Mark). And the Tolatic people are originally from Tolteca–
Chichimeca in 9th century they emigrated from northern–west to Culhuacan in Mexico (Cartwright
). Each one of them has its own site that was important to them in term of beliefs and religion. It can
be recognized, ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The great ball court is with in the series of the temples that are in Chichen. Archaeologist found
many small Ball Courts in the site but the main one is at Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Mexico. It is the
largest and greatest in ancient Mesoamerican. Its 166*68 meters length and two long 12 meter high.
The walls are holding the stones carved balls rings which are representing the feather serpent. .
Temple of the Warrior and The Group of the Thousand Columns archaeologist have been working
on it since 1925 . On this part of site you can see a columns and sculpture of the Warriors. On this
platform there is sculpture of the Chac Mool used for sacrifices. There is a section that is not open in
to public which is the inner chamber of the temple which is covered with paintings. The thousand
columns connects with the main market complex. Both are part of the mayan

The Early Settlements Of Mesoamerican Blood Rituals
Their early settlements were now being built with a greater sense of permanence. The early
settlement inhabitants even erected their thatch houses on low apsidal shaped (oval) platforms.
These platforms were constructed using a lime–gravel mixture called sascab, in addition to using
white lime and stone. Although most of the structures in their settlements were residential homes,
but a few structures were built as shrines specifically where important rituals were conducted by
members of the community. Religion in the form of Mesoamerican blood rituals was now firmly a
part of Maya culture. One structure found at the Cuello site had contained more than 20 skeletal
remains of individuals whom may have been sacrificed to commemorate the construction of the
community 's holy shrine. The first Maya settlers in Cayo also appear to have also moved into the
area at around 1200 BC as had other Maya. They established their settlements on the hills
overlooking the major river systems. From their hilltop communities they farmed the rich alluvial
valleys where they also collected jute and hunted wild game. Like the colonizers of Cuello, the early
Maya in the Belize River Valley constructed large and small apsidal shaped platforms on which they
built wattle and daub buildings with thatched roofs. Maya buildings weren 't without decoration, we
've learned from fragments of preserved stucco at the Cahal Pech site that the plaster walls of these
buildings were painted in red

Ancient Mayans Research Paper
Ancient Mayans
Who were the Ancient Mayans? The Ancient Mayans were a religion/culture that was in
Mesoamerica (Southern Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize) beginning at around 250 CE. They
believed in over 165 gods and made advanced calendars and astronomical buildings, they believed
heavily on the fact that religion and science were the same thing. They were able to calculate solar
years and predict solar eclipses. The Maya believed everyone went to the underworld ruled by evil
gods shown as jaguars. The three major gods were the god of the sun, the god of maize, and the god
of rain but they had a god for almost everything in nature and had a strong belief in forest spirits.
They had many ancient texts all written in hieroglyphs which is hard ... Show more content on
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The Maya carried out sacrifices, this was one of the things they were known for, they would build
great astronomical buildings used for these rituals/sacrifices. An example of the types of sacrifices
they did is something called a bloodletting performed by the people but run by the priests. The Maya
believed that the underworld could be accessed from the physical world through things such as a
cave or cenote (natural pit or sinkhole). The underworld to them is not like say hell like in christian
faith but more of a "world of the dead." There are multiple beliefs for this underworld though some
believed in something called Xibalba which was a "dark and horrid place" but there is a story in one
of their texts that states two twins going into Xibalba to "rescue their father, and kill the lords of
death." Some believed that the dead could come back to the physical world and speak to the leaving.
They believed that the kings had supernatural powers when they died so they would enter the
underworld but then use those supernatural powers and become a

Ancient Maya Civilization And Colonial America
The purpose of this essay is to answer the question "To what extent, if any, did ancient Maya
civilization contribute to society in colonial America?".
To begin formulating an answer to this question, ancient Maya civilization was broadly researched
in books from various libraries. Suspected contributions of Maya civilization were recorded and
further researched in books and online resources that were focused on specific aspects of Maya
civilization such as astronomy, architecture, agriculture, mathematics, and food production.
Research was then conducted about civilization in colonial America through various books and
online resources to determine how colonial America was impacted by each of the suspected
contributions of ancient Maya civilization.

The Value Of The Jaguar Essay
The jaguar is a highly known animal with notable affiliation in the Pre–Columbian Mesoamerican
societies and belief systems. All major Mesoamerican cultures proudly presented a jaguar god.
Jaguars are known for their power and aggressive strength. They are great hunters and one of the big
cats that can tolerate water. Most information that is known about Mayan culture and Mesoamerican
societies comes from the countless and scrupulous findings on stone monuments, murals,
documents, adorned vases, and conventional sources, where we can survey that the Maya carried out
religious exercises with most of these objects. This is evident of the Mayan jaguar lidded vessel
from the Fresno Art Museum. Vessels are vases that were used not for just funerary purposes, but
also for rituals, offerings, and a plethora of other daily activities. Other important details about
jaguar symbolism in Mesoamerican cultures include the fact that the word for jaguar, bahlam,
appears in many of the names of Mayan kings than any other animals. This is not surprising since
the jaguar is the mighty emperor of crafty force. Andrea Stone and Marc Zender state in their book,
Reading Maya Art: A Hieroglyphic Guide to Ancient Maya Paintings and Sculptures, that, "The
jaguars ferocity made it an ideal insignia of warriors who wore jaguar parts to wear it like a badge of
honor, whether it was the head, skin, tail, or paws. "To spread out jaguar skin" was an expression for
war, and

The Ancient Empires Are The Maya, Aztec And Inca
The three ancient empires are the Maya, Aztec and Inca. Indigenous had no resistance to smallpox
and measles. Mulattos have mixed African and Iberian ancestry. Mestizos are people with mixed
ancestry, specifically Amerindian and Spanish ancestry. Indigenous traditions, European–derived
music, and African–inspired musical activity make up the music of Central America, South America,
and Mexico. African influence is evident in African secular and religious practices, in instruments
modeled after African instruments, and in the use of musical traits associated with Africa's ethnic
groups. Amazonian tribes can differ in their language, dress, belief system, and kinship practices.
The Kayapó–Xikrin are from the rainforests of Brazil. Men and women usually sing separately.
Vocal pulsation is a slight periodic volume amplification. Takak–nhiok is a Kayapó–Xikrin naming
ritual that occurs in five stages over five years. In each stage, the initiates gain new knowledge about
practices and activities in their community. The two official languages of Peru are Spanish and
Quechua. The Inca Empire reached its peak in the last decades of the 1400s. The two centers of
power are located in Cusco and Machu Picchu. In 1572, Spanish conquistadors beheaded the last
Inca emperor, Túpac Amaru. Roman Catholicism is the most prominent religion in Peru. Common
among Andean and Peruvian indigenous populations, the siku is a panpipe made of cylindrical reeds
of different lengths tied together.

Mayan Accomplishments
The Mesoamerican society of the ancient Maya was one of the most dominant civilizations of its
time. Centered in what is now Guatemala, this empire reached its peak around the sixth century CE.
The Maya excelled in a variety of fields such as agriculture, pottery, writing, and mathematics, just
to name a few. Many of their accomplishments can be traced back to their deeply religious way of
life. Understanding the Mayan religion gives us insight into their values and traditions; it allows us
to see the world through the eyes of the ancient Mayans. Astronomical discovery is at the heart of
Maya religion and culture. Without the advent of modern technology such as telescopes and
computers, they were able to successfully track cycles of celestial

Mayan Civilization Disappearance
What Cause The Disappearance Of Maya Civilization?
The Maya civilization was an extremely mysterious and glorious ancient civilization. Most of the
Mayans were distributed throughout Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala. Mayans made a brilliant
civilization with the simple implement of production in the Neolithic Age, and they did not have any
metal tools or transportation. They left towering pyramid temples, majestic palaces, and finely
carved stone tablets. They also made many well–made pottery and beautiful oblations. They created
an accurate mathematics system and an astronomical almanac system, and a hieroglyphic system,
which has still, not be decoded. As the only civilization that lived in the tropical jungle, instead of
large river valley, it is very strange and attractive that both its rise and decay were very fast. Maya
civilization disappeared and became a mysterious legend. The passion of finding out the answer of
why the Maya ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The reason of the disappearance was drought. The drought has a regularity that was the same as the
solar cycle. The range of variation of the solar cycle is only about one percent, but it is enough to
make a serious drought of Yucatan peninsula–the heart area of Mayan civilization. Research about
the sediments from the lakes in the northern Yucatan peninsula, shows that a high–concentration
calcium sulfate settled layer appears back and forth. The reason of formation of calcium sulfate is a
lot of moisture evaporates from the surface, the time interval is about two hundred years, and it is fit
the solar cycle: two hundred and six years. The structure of Mayan society was very fragile when it
faces to drought. Their major crop was corn and is relied on a constant water source. The rainwater,
lake water, river water, and underground water could only last for eighteen months. The further
research expresses that, around 810AD, 860AD and

The Importance Of The Mayan Civilization In Guatemala
The Mayan civilization resided in the tropics, in what is now Guatemala (History.com Staff). The
Classic Maya civilization included approximately 40 cities; including, Tikal, Uaxactún, Copán,
Bonampak, Dos Pilas, Calakmul, Palenque and Río Bec. The populations of these cities ranged from
5,000 to 50,000 people. It is believed that at its peak, the Maya population was close to 2,000,000
(Frater, Jamie). This culture held family life, religious ceremonies, their relationship with nature,
food, survival, and their architecture to a great significance. One of the most intricate components of
their culture is their religious ceremonies and beliefs. The Mayan people are known to be incredibly
religious, and their beliefs established the creation of humans, the world, and everything they held
sacred. The believed in many gods, including the gods of the sun, moon, rain, and corn. Two of
these gods, the wind and sky gods, came together to create the earth. According to the Mayans
creation story, it took the gods three tries to form the perfect creations to honour them (Gomez,
Maria C.). This is one of the reasons religion was taken so seriously in their culture. Excavations of
Maya sites have unearthed plazas, palaces, temples and pyramids, as well as courts for playing the
ball games that were spiritually and politically significant to Maya culture (Frater, Jamie). If this ball
game was being played to settle a political argument, the losers may be sacrificed; however, if it

Analysis Of Laura Gilpin 's Life
Laura Gilpin, April 22, 1891 – November 30, 1979, was an accomplished American photographer
primarily known for her photographs of Native Americans and Southwestern landscapes. She began
her photography at an early age, and remained active in the art scene until her death in 1979. Gilpin
received her first camera at age twelve, which she used persistently for years into adulthood. The
next year, in 1904, Gilpin traveled to visit a dear friend of the family, Laura Perry, a blind woman
who also happened to be her namesake. Upon outings to big events Gilpin was asked to describe
every detail to her, "The experience taught me the kind of observation I would have never learned
otherwise" (Gilpin, 1979). This experience proved to be a critical point in her life, especially as she
began integrating this type of observation into her photography. Gilpin later traveled to New York
City after her mentor, Gertrude Käsebier, urged her to attend the Clarence White School. While
attending the school from 1916–1918, she started formal training of photography, and learned
special techniques of the craft. Although she began her early work in the Pictorialist style, a type of
photography lacking a sharp focus, she slowly moved away from this style in the 1930's. Her true
inspiration was found in the people and landscapes of the American Southwest. She soon received
critical acclaim for her photographs on the Navajo and Pueblos, as well as the intense landscapes of
their homeland. Her work

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 on
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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

Ancient Maya Religious Practices and Beliefs Essays
Almost every aspect of Maya life was centered on religion. These ancient Mesoamerican peoples
worshipped many gods and goddesses; this was part of their daily lives, despite class differences in
their sophisticated society. Religion served as a basis for the government and social life. Priests and
shamans played an important role in their government, conducted religious ceremonies, and made
sacrifices to the gods. The Maya believed in the supernatural, and used this belief to explain life and
their universe. Every object, whether it is part of nature or man made, was considered sacred and
worshipped. The Maya universe was composed of three different realms; the Upperworld in the sky,
the Earth, and the Underworld down below. Also ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Xibalba was organized into nine descending levels, worsening in punishment and torture as the
levels lowered. Maya Lords of Death ruled over the different levels. After death, those who led evil
lives were condemned to Xibalba. The Maya described the Underworld as a place filled with water
and rivers and could be entered through caves or bodies of water. Despite the various characteristics
and features the Maya believed their ancestors, spirits, and gods resided in all three realms and
worshiped them. Like any religion, the Mayas had religious leaders to lead the community
spiritually. Priests and shamans guided the religious practices of the Maya and were of great
importance to the survival of the civilization because they would help the people please the gods.
Shamans were mainly commoners and looked after those in their local community. Much like
medicine men of the Native American tribes, shamans used their knowledge of plants to act as
doctors amongst the people and cure illness. It was the job of the shamans to perform rituals,
decipher events, and tell the future so the people were able to know the will of the gods. Unlike
shamans, priests were of the elite class and took part in much larger matters. Many elite class sons
became priests because they could not all hold a political office. "Priests who were full–time
specialists in religious matters emerged as Maya society became larger and more

Essay On The Red Queen
Name Professor's name Course Date, Film Paper: The "Red Queen"
The Red Queen is a documentary made by the Discovery channel. It tells about a study of ancient
remnants of the Maya woman. She was buried honorably, like an important member of the ruling
dynasty. Researchers did not ascertain the woman's identity, but provided enough evidences to
suggest she was Tzakbu Ajaw, the wife of Pakal II, one of the greatest Maya rulers, who headed the
government of Palenque. The movie also provided insights in the women's role in ancient Maya life.
The movie portrays the woman as a noble person. Her tomb and used mortuary ceremonies were
similar to procedures that were applied to king's bodies. Red Queen was around 50–60 years old
when she died. Woman's teeth showed she had a high quality diet, but it did not save her from
abscesses in the mouth. Red Queen had children, and several pregnancies could be a possible cause
of her osteoporosis. Despite the condition, scientists did ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
They showed the society had strict gender roles. Women were its important part, but they often
played only second roles as mothers and wives of rulers, who give them male successors. Their
positions were not limited by these duties; for example, Maya believed women can contact with
ancestors, when they sacrifice their blood. They also admitted females' intelligence and ability to
make decisions, if they existed. Women were not prohibited from the throne, but Maya did not like
such derogation from traditions and chose them as rulers only it was the only way to maintain the
kingdom. So they often stayed in charge as "grey cardinals". This role was chosen by Sak K'uk', the
mother of Pakal II and one of the potential identities of the Red Queen. She could not come into
throne, so she named her son for this post, when he was 12 years old. Sak K'uk' ruled the country
openly without any complains from Pakal and other noble people until her

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

Essay on Mayan Religion
Ancient Maya pyramids, now encompassed by the forest or explored by tourists, have long been
viewed as mysterious places of sacrifice and bloodletting rituals. Though the religious significance
of Maya pyramids has long been recognized, the casual traveler may pass right by other, less–
imposing but no less important, places of religious meaning to the Maya. The small, community
churches constructed during colonial times were central to religious activity in the cah. The milpa
field, where corn was grown with the kol and kash cycles of slash and burn agriculture, was also a
focal point of religious ceremonies performed by the humble Maya farmer. The Classical pyramid,
the community church, and the milpa field were all places of ... Show more content on
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Architecture and external decorations enhanced the dramatic effect of the King's ritual actions, as he
spilled his own blood to open the portal and commune with the Otherworld (Schele and Freidel
110–11).
After the Classical collapse and the Spanish conquest, colonial churches replaced the pyramid as the
focal point of religion in Maya communities. These churches lacked the scale of Classical pyramids,
but they mimicked the hierarchical organization of regulating proximity to the altar and the priest.
Decorations such as paintings, statues, and crosses were used for dramatic effect. The priest replaced
the king as the figure with the authority to perform religious rituals and mediate between the people
and God. However, due to the scarcity of priests in the colonies, most Maya had minimal interaction
with priests. The maestro cantor, the son of a noble Maya who had been trained in both the old and
new religious ways, actually held the responsibility for caring for the church and organizing
ceremonies (Lecture 3/1). Cofradia, or religious brotherhoods honoring a patron saint, formed the
backbone of the community religious activity, which was outwardly Catholic but inwardly a
syncretic mix of Catholicism and precolonial Maya religion (Freidel, Schele & Parker 176). The
colonial church served as a sacred space for the Maya to venerate the saints in a manner that was
very similar to the way they had

The Mayan Civilization Essay
The Maya civilization was a unique development in history that challenges the common perspective
of humanity and society. It's very classification as a civilization may confuse those who think of a
civilization as a cohesive empire because it was quite fragmentary instead. An isolate built upon the
tribal cultures of Central and South America, the Maya culture operated on a different understanding
of reality and the world than did the Eurasian communities that intermingled and possessed
knowledge of each other. One must take this into account in order to understand the workings of the
Maya. Parallels in their development to other cultures around the world are testament to the nature
of the species Homo sapiens that seems to emerge in any environment. ... Show more content on
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Hence, Maya beliefs were not a religion but a religiosity that permeated everyday behaviors.
Although the Maya appealed to the gods, their idols were their ancestors who established the
traditions that had allegedly allowed them to thrive. Children were expected to follow the lead of
their elders, and failure to do so was punished harshly. In fact, adults who did not perform the rituals
expected of them could be punished too. "Right" behavior in Maya culture was orderly behavior that
did not disturb the balance of Mayan

Economy in Early American Civilizations: Maya, Aztecs and...
The economic systems of early American societies were very similar. One of these societies, the
Mayans, lived in southern Mexico and northern Central America from the 3rd to the 10th century
CE, and they relied on the trade of goods such as obsidian and crops such as cacao beans. Another
American civilization was the Aztec civilization. They were located in the Valley of Mexico around
the 13th to 16th century CE, and they used slash–and–burn farming to plant crops to trade. The Inca
Empire existed from the 13th to the 16th century CE along the Pacific coast of South America near
the Andes Mountains. The Inca used terrace farming and irrigation to grow crops such as corn. The
economies of these early American civilizations were heavily ... Show more content on
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Maya economy and trade is still one of the more mysterious aspects of Maya life. Research into the
area is very tricky, as the records left behind by the Maya themselves in terms of their trade are
little. They mostly would document their wars and lives of their leaders much more completely than
their trading patterns.
The Mayan economy depended upon trading and centralized markets to sustain itself. They used
canoes to transport goods across rivers and lakes. Cacao beans were used as currency, or traders
bartered with each other to exchange goods. They traded food with societies close to them and
nonperishable goods, such as obsidian, with societies farther from them. In Mayan society,
agriculture was looked upon as a key part to the economy. The Mayans main crops that were grown
were corn, beans, chili peppers, and squash. These crops were a very big priority for the Mayan
settlement and economy for trading purposes. The Mayans also developed wonderful cities with
larger community centers. These centers featured temples, pyramids, and palaces. These were good
strategic central location which would enhance the economy. The Mayan economies wonderful trade
and agricultural products all helped form a great base for the Mayan economy. Those aspects like
agriculture and trading also immensely helped the Aztec civilization. Some major aspects of the
Aztec civilizations were farming and trading. The Aztecs were hunters and

Why The Maya Disappeared When They Did
Known for its complex writing system, the Maya had existed from the Neolithic Era to the Classical
Period. Composed of city states that ran through Central and South America, even after its collapse
parts of it culture continues on today. Descendants of the Maya speak some of the original
languages, and continue to live in Mexico and Belize; yet none of them live in the ruins of its
previous society. Its original civilization was abandoned around early 900 CE, and what caused
them to abandon their empire has been a mystery for a long time. As more clues are found possible
causes start to be seen. As of today, there are many theories from scientists and historians on what
could have caused the fall of the Maya at 900 CE, and that some of ... Show more content on
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This comes from what is thought to be a climate change that started around 660 CE, where rain
began to happen less and less frequently, and the region started to get drier and drier. People still
aren't sure whether or not the climate change was natural or mainly caused by the people, though it's
mostly like a mixture of both, since it was so rapid. The fact that droughts got worse fits in as a
factor to the abandonment of its cities due to the fact that it made more problems for the people, like
getting food. The fact that droughts were happening more often meant it was harder for the Maya to
farm. It's not known for sure what Mayans did for crops, since there are no noticeable artifacts left to
show it, but corn made up 70% of their diet and the low amount of animal bones found in
archaeological sites show that that there wasn't a lot of animals being eaten, either due to lack or
because they were only meant for certain people, like the priests and kings. What does this mean for
the people? If they weren't eating a lot of meat, then they were relying on crops, and if there were
droughts going on each year more and more, it'd be harder to get enough crops for everyone in the
civilization. From 800 to 1000 CE, there just wasn't enough water to keep a steadily farm, which

Ancient Mayan Script Of The Maya
Ancient Mayan Script The Maya hieroglyphic writing is perhaps one of the most complex writing
systems in the world. This writing system contains over hundreds of rare signs or glyphs in the form
of humans, animals, and objects. Many of these signs contained either logograms or syllabograms to
write words, sentences, and phrases. Logograms were to used express the meaning and syllabograms
to denote sound values. The Mayan's were able to write anything that they can say. They were able
to turn whatever they spoke into a writing form because of their one of a kind writing system. The
Maya were actually not a group of single people but many nations with several but linked cultures,
religions, and languages. Of the many Maya languages, only two ... Show more content on
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He found a specific category of hieroglyph that he called "Emblem" Glyphs he noticed that this
glyph had a standard position and form in Maya texts: they occurred towards the end of passages
(Culbert 19). Another important object found was the Maya Glyph Block (AMNH), which contained
Mayan Glyphs on a block. We found that the order to read Maya glyphs is not as easy as it would
seem. Glyph blocks were arranged in a grid and they are read in paired columns. The first block is
on the top left and the second is to the right of the first. (AS Web) Next thing that major in the Maya
writing system was the numbers. Numbers and Calendar were the first part of the Mayan writing
system to be deciphered by scholars during the 19th century. Comparable to our writing system and
the Babylonians, the Maya used the idea of place value. Except we have a place value that increases
from right to left in multiples of 10, the Maya system has a place value that increases in multiples of
20. Instead of the place value increasing horizontally from right to left, the Maya increased
vertically moving up the page. For example, three is represented and three dots and five are
represented as a bar. The Maya scribes loved decoration and complexity for its own sake as a result
each number from 1 to 20

Maya And The Ancient Civilizations
To this day, historians still discuss when exactly the Maya civilizations started but the most
commonly accepted date is 1800 BCE in the Soconusco Region. Unlike other Mesoamerican
civilizations, Maya was not confined to one area of land but rather stretched out over Central
America. To historians today, the Maya civilization reached its peak during the Classic Period
between AD 250 and 900. At its peak, the Maya population was over 2,000,000 people. Excavations
of Mayan cities have uncovered plazas, temples, pyramids, ball playing courts, and even art. The
peak of this civilization is considered to have occurred when the Mayans started to carve and
produce beautiful low relief steles. The Stele in Figure 1 from the late Classic Maya period is an
example of a low relief stele that the Mayans were so known for. Steles are generally made from
wood or stone and are taller than the average human. They were erected as a monumental object for
either commutative or funerary purposes. In Mesoamerica, the first steles were first seen from the
Olmec's; Mesoamerican civilization that existed between 1200 to 400 BCE. Maya Steles are
typically carved in low relief in stone with a base altar; a base that typically had the name or some
sort of offering to the figure in the stele. It was in the peak of the Mayan civilization, the Classic
period, AD 250–900, which the steles were predominantly employed. The Maya people used steles
mainly in the Classic period (AD 250–900) within their peak

How The Maya Civilization Was A Major Social Entity From...
Mesoamerica Essay The Maya civilization was a major social entity from approximately 2600
B.C.E. to 1521 C.E. The Maya civilization was never a fully unified society; it was primarily made
up of numerous small states, in and around what is now known as the Yucatan Peninsula. These
states, each apparently centered on a city, were ruled by individual kings. Sometimes, a stronger
Maya state would dominate a weaker state and be able to exact tribute and labor from it. The
development of agriculture gave rise to villages which eventually developed into larger and more
complex societies. These became city states that were tied together by trade. (1, 4) The basic staples
of the Maya diet were maize, beans, and squashes. These were supplemented ... Show more content
on Helpwriting.net ...
(2) Mayan architecture incorporated various forms of art and hieroglyphs. Pyramid temples devoted
to their many deities, royal palaces, and ball courts were the most elaborate structures. Architectural
styles varied by region, and were influenced by locally available construction materials, climate,
topography, and the preferences of the ruling class and commoners. (3) Warfare was prevalent in the
Maya world. Military campaigns were launched for a variety of reasons, including the control of
trade routes and tribute, raids to capture enemies for religious rituals, up to the annihilation of an
enemy state. Little is known about Maya military organization, logistics, or training. Warfare is
depicted in Maya art, and tales of battle are mentioned in hieroglyphic inscriptions. Unfortunately,
the inscriptions do not provide information upon the causes of war, or the form it took. (5) Political
unrest, warfare and drought are believed to have been the beginning of the downfall of the Mayan
people. When the Spanish arrived led by Hernan Cortes in 1521 C.E. in Central America, the
diseases they brought, including smallpox, decimated the Mayan population. In addition to
spreading fatal disease, the Spanish forced the Maya to convert to their religion, namely
Christianity. The Spanish even destroyed the Mayan literature, which is the reason that so little of
their writings are

Maya Collapse Research Paper
In 2012, inspired by the Mayan Long Count calendar, the bizarre belief that apocalypse was
happening brought fear to many people. Whether the Mayans predicted the end of the world or not,
it is undeniable that their civilization is among the most advanced, mysterious, and influential
ancient ones. Although the reason behind Maya Collapse is still being debated, there are a number of
theories proposed by scientists. While Jared Diamond in "Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or
Succeed" and Patricia A. McAnny and Tomas Gallareta Negrón in "Questioning Collapse: Human
Resilience, Ecological Vulnerability, and The Aftermath of Empire" address the same problem, their
perspectives are rather different. Compared to Patricia A. McAnny and Tomas ... Show more content
on Helpwriting.net ...
McAnny and Negrón do not see those claims as explanations to Maya Collapse. They assert, "The
predominant agricultural features of the Late Classic are those of conservation... In other words,
Maya farmers of the Late Classic seem to have been doing all that they could to prevent land
degradation and promote soil retention and fertility. So population growth does not necessarily lead
to land degradation" (McAnny and Negrón, 153). This is not a valid argument: being aware of
environmental issues and trying to protect it sadly do not account to not be impacted by
environmental degradation. The Mayans' method of agriculture, slash–and–burn, could only support
a certain range of the population. It was such a dilemma to Mayans that in order to increase
population, they need more food, and in order to produce more, they have to deforest and increase
labor force as they did not have "animal–powered transport or plows" (Diamond, 165). This is the
cause of overpopulation and environmental retrograding. As one of the most developed ancient
civilizations, Mayans should have noticed these crucial issues, but before the Mayans solved these
problems, the following drought mentioned above might have brought an end to

Subsistence Strategies In Ancient Maya
Subsistence strategies are patterns of production, distribution, and consumption that members of a
society employ to ensure the satisfaction of the basic material survival needs of humans. There are
many forms these strategies can take. These groups fall into two main categories, food collectors
and food producers. Food collectors are those who gather, hunt, or fish for food. Examples of this
would be pastoralism, and horticulture. An example of pastoralism can be seen in the savannas,
pastoralists and their animals gather when rain water is abundant and the pasture is rich, then scatter
during the drying of the savanna. Horticulture can be seen in ancient Mayan culture, in the
cornfields, multiple crops were grown such as beans (using cornstalks as supports), squash,
pumpkins and chili peppers. Food producers on the other ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net
...
Examples of food producers would be foraging and agriculture. An example of a modern foraging
culture is the Ache people of Paraguay. The men spend their time hunting for game. The women
follow behind, gathering resources such as fruits, palm starch, and larvae. Agriculture has three
different types of cultivation, extensive, intensive, and mechanized industrial. Extensive agriculture
requires extensive use of a land. Intensive agriculture involves using plows, draft animals, irrigation,
and fertilizer. This method bring more land under cultivation at one time and produces more yield.
Lastly, mechanized industrial is a form of farming that has become organized along industrial lines.
This brand of farming in a new age way of producing food and transforms production into a large
scale, technology dependent industry.
2. The three modes of exchange are reciprocity, redistribution, and market exchange. These modes
of exchange are cross–cultural. Reciprocity is the oldest and most historic method of exchange.
Reciprocity is alike many egalitarian societies. One example of these

Ancient Maya Essay
Ancient Maya Essay Matthew Pitcher Mrs Meligrana Ancient Civilizations June 8th, 2011 Pitcher1
The Ancient Mayan civilization stands out from other ancient civilizations and is great because of its
outstanding achievements and developments. The Mayans are still known to this day for their
exceptional architecture, medical discoveries, astronomy, and military tactics which were very
successful. In this essay I will explain what the Mayans have achieved to make themselves
considered great, why they are great, and why they overcome many of the other ancient
civilizations. Mayan astronomy has been considered one of the most complex of mankind. Of all the
world's ancient calendar systems, the Maya and other ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
By far one of the most fascinating achievements of the Mayans was there methods and development
of their beautiful architectural buildings and designs. Whether their temples, complexes, buildings,
homes, sidewalks or causeways (which were built by hand cut lime–stone), and the first civilization
to construct sidewalks for pedestrians. A Maya city from the Classic Period usually consisted of a
series of platforms topped by masonry structures, ranging from great temple–pyramids and palaces
to individual house mounds. These structures were in turn arranged around open plazas or
courtyards. Maya architecture is characterized by a sophisticated sense of decoration and art,
expressed in beautiful carvings and wall paintings, unlike any others. Throughout the Mayans 2000
year history, their unique warfare tactics turned out to be very successful for their civilization.
Unlike most other civilizations, instead of a head to head close range battle, the Mayans built an
army of spearmen and arrow shooters to kill the enemy. Long range war tactic was there specialty
and it worked. They killed their enemy before their enemy could reach them, using the land and
surroundings they built trenches and barricades to Pitcher3 fool and surprise the enemy, along with
bells and whistles to distract the enemy to let fellow soldiers

Into the Wild: The Spiritual Journey of Chris McCandless...
Christopher "Alexander Supertramp" McCandless was a dreamer. However, unlike most of us
nowadays, Christopher turned his desire for adventure into reality. Similar to Buddha, he gave up his
wealth, family, home, and most possessions except the ones he carried before embarking on his
journey. He traveled by various methods, mostly on foot, to eventually reach his desired goal in the
Alaskan wilderness. Unfortunately, due to various mistakes, Christopher ultimately passed and his
body was found in a neglected Fairbank City Transit Bus. His motivation to achieve his goal was
based on the many aspects of his life. Chris's dysfunctional family weighed heavily on him, one
prime reason for driving him onto the road of freedom.
As seen in the ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
So Sam, Stacy, Shawn, Shelly, Shannon, Quinn, Chris and Carine were together in some
permutation, every summer and on other special occasions."4 Within this statement, Billie states that
they were devoted in trying to create perfect communication between the two families. However,
Christopher's siblings' writings said otherwise. Chris's parents did provide opportunities for all the
siblings to be together. In contrast, the time was always filled with diverse attempts to ruin their
unity. For instance, Chris's sister Carine specifically mentioned that Walt and Billie would purposely
pit them against each other.
Another burden Christopher's family laid on him was a massive amount of guilt. As mentioned
above, Chris felt responsible for the 'abandonment' of Walt's ex–wife and her children. Carine
writes, "From the time we were small children, still unaware of how children come to be, I
remember Chris being consistently told through our mother's tears that the family struggles began
with his birth, when she became 'stuck' with our dad. Chris carried this unfounded guilt with him
until the wisdom that comes with age resulted in feelings of betrayal and eventually anger. This
mislaid blame was never rescinded, only ignored."3 Carine, Chris's youngest and only natal sister,
believed that the painful and unbearable family life that they endured provided Chris with a just
reason to abandon his life. She respected this part of his motivation for leaving,

The Fall Of The Ancient Maya
The Moral of the Story is Something We Don't Know Webster's investigation into the Mayan
Collapse in his book The Fall of the Ancient Maya is quite lengthy for the number of conclusions he
makes. In fact, he spends his last chapter of the book explaining that, as much as we may want it,
there is no clear cut answer currently for why the Mayan civilization fell. He shares his ideas
concerning Mayan overpopulation, warfare, competition between nobles, and an ideological decline
but does not claim to be infallible in his assertions, and instead insists that we as readers should
make up our own mind about what happened to the Mayans. As such, I prefer the migration
hypothesis of the Mayan collapse, which hypothesizes that the Mayan population rotated around
Mayan territory, shifting their residence based on the availability of resources, perceived
competency of leadership, and the threat of conflict, until they finally exhausted all available space
to them and were left with no place to go. This theory of collapse incorporates much of what
Webster claims to be central to the Mayan collapse while also providing a very logical story as to
how it occurred, but without further evidence, cannot be proven. Regardless, this sort of exploration
into the Mayans has widened the lens with which societal collapse is inspected. Webster's wealth of
research into the Mayans brought factors that had previously been overlooked in other societal
collapses, namely his ideas of an ideological

The Aztecs And The Incas
1. Introduction
Imagine living in a world where everything is ruled by how the night sky looked. As the sun starts to
set, the sky starts to get illuminated not by one, but by millions and millions of other stars! This is
what the Aztecs and the Mayas saw every night. Both the Aztec and the Maya were a powerful and
advanced civilization that were created separately from the Western European civilizations and did
an amazing job doing so. Just like many other Ancient Civilizations the night sky plays a significant
role in their society. Astronomy, Religion, culture and architecture are all aligned the stars.
Both the Aztecs and the Maya originated in what is now the southern part of Mexico and other parts
of Central America. The Maya are the predecessors of the Aztecs and much of their customs are
seen the Aztec culture. But the Maya were not the first; there were the Olmec's, Toltec's, and the
Chichimec's before the Maya and Aztec. Progressively you see that each successive civilization
impacted the next in aspects of the religion and the astronomy.
The astronomy that the Aztecs and the Maya developed was phenomenal. They were both great at
predicting eclipses, as well as being the civilizations with the most accurate synodic periods of the
Moon, Earth, Venus, and Mars at that time period. Clearly these people knew what they were doing
and what they were looking at. Astronomy was such and important piece to their culture that you
can see in both of the

Informative Speech On Maya
Mayans have been around for hundreds to thousands of years well I mean 300 B.C.E., and even
made 50 cities in the lowlands in Guatemala. Now if that didn't surprise you then I don't know what
would. Just picture in your head yourself farming, praying to the gods, and even making murals with
thousand of stories to tell. Well I think that's enough talking so let's talk about something else like
facts. In the olden days mayans built reservoirs to store rainwater for drinking and other reasons too.
Now you may have heard myths or stories about Tikal. Tikal was one of the greatest ancient maya
city which was located in the northern Guatemala. With about 60,000 people living their. Tikal
controlled smaller cities but then got fought by Calakmul.

Rise Of The Mayans Essay
The Maya's were an ancient civilization being traced back all the way to 2,000 B.C., being in
Central America known as (Mesoamerica). Being a colony it was vast being all over southeastern
parts of Yucatan known today as Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras and parts of El Salvador.
The Mayas believed in their own god by the names of Tezcatlipoca (god of sky). They believed that
if they provided human sacrifice towards the sky, the god will provide them with food (agriculture)
growth following the date along of the (Tzolkin) calendar known for rituals. The Mayas were known
as an intelligence civilization when it came to agriculture due to their knowledge of Astronomy. The
fall of the Mayas leave many people concerned on how this big colony could just vanished without a
trace leaving a lot of different theories on their disappearance. The ancient civilization of the Mayas
has been around for more than 1,000s of years most of its ancient settlement can still be found in
today's time located in Central America and in Mexico. Many of these cities were unique and special
in their own way, "The Maya excelled at agriculture, pottery, hieroglyph writing, calendar–making
and mathematics, and left behind an astonishing amount ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Someone with high quality expectations, chosen by a god also known as (halach uinic) meaning lord
therefore offering their own bloods towards the gods. Considering that their civilization was stable
the king main priority was to fight in wars against rival cities–states and were meant to be wise and
well prepare on what problems cities were facing. The Mayas religion has been shown several
aspects of nature following with astronomy and rituals following their god of Sun known as Kinih
Ahous. With their following calendar of Ritual (Tzolkin) to start this ceremony, believing that if god
received the ritual in return god will give a good amount of crop harvest and pleasant

Mayan Painting Artist At Bonampak
Scott Castruita Art Appreciation Deborah Gustlin Dec 8, 2014 Mayan Mural Painter at Bonampak
My name is Scott Castruita and I live in Gilroy and I am 26 years old. Being an art student, I have
learned that artist reflect certain aspects of their community while preparing any artistic product.
This trend has been in existence for a long time ever since the discovery of art in ancient
communities. However, I must admit that most of us in the modern communities do not appreciate
art to the extent that it deserves. In order to understand and appreciate art, people must have
knowledge of its place in time. As such, I took an initiative of unraveling the Mayan Mural Painter
at Bonampak by investigating various aspects of the Maya community in order to understand their
art. In my research, I have discovered that the Maya people represent some of the most renowned
communities in relation to culture and artistic expressions. Living in the southern Mexico and
northern Central America, the Maya people consist of group of communities with shared cultural
values and heritage (Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian 1). Considering the
close relation of communities comprising the Maya people, patterns of widely acceptable practices
can be easily identified hence the community culture. In my research, I have learned that there is
close relations between cultural values exhibited by the community and the artistic expressions. It is
for this reason that most artifacts

The Ancient Native Empires of the Inca, Maya, and the Aztecs
I am going to read about three ancient native empires. They are called the Inca, Maya, and the
Aztecs. They were all ancient and well known empires. The Inca and Aztecs Empires were both
conquered by Spanish conquistadores. The Maya Empire was abandoned. No one knows why. First I
shall talk to you about the Inca's, then, the Maya's, and finally the Aztecs. The Inca became a tribe in
1200 B.C., in the Cuzco area of southwestern Peru. The other names for the Inca's were/are Inka,
Tahuantinsuyu, or Tawantinsuyu. The Inca's worshiped gods and nature. They believed in omens
and their dreams. the Incas called themselves " the Children of the Sun." Around 1438 C.E, under
the command of Emperor Pachacuti, the Inca defeated the neighboring Andean tribes. The Inca's
soon laid out the foundations of the Inca Empire. There was almost no crime in the Inca Empire.
They had no prisons, because almost no one stole others property.the worst crimes they had were
murder, saying bad things about the Inca gods, and insulting the Sapa Inca. Over the next 100 years,
the Inca Empire grew into a vast empire. The Inca Empire was short–lived. Just about 100 years,
until the coming of the Spaniards in 1532. The Spanish had conquered the Inca Empire. The Maya
Empire, centered in the tropical lands of what we know today to be Guatemala. The Maya Empire
reached the peak of its power around the 6th century A.D. The Maya were skilled at agriculture,
pottery, hieroglyph writing, calendar–making, and

Hallucinogens In The Ancient Maya Civilization
In this paper I will be answering three main questions about the use of mind altering hallucinogenic
substances within the ancient Maya civilization.
How and why did the Maya use these hallucinogenic substances?
What hallucinogens Did the Maya use?
What hallucinogenic substances were available in the Maya region or via trade routes? The
following substances are the most widely documented substances used by the ancient Maya. Drugs,
drinks, and ritual enemas were used all across the Maya region. Using or mixing different
psychoactive plants with intoxicating preparations was also a common practice. Consumption of
many of these substances dates back to the Olmec era (1200–400 BCE). But there is limited
evidence to support this. However, ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Sacred mushrooms are painted in the murals at Teotihuacán, the largest city center in ancient
Mexico nearly 2,000 years ago. Mushroom like figures are depicted on various decorative artifacts
from the Maya region and in the illustrated books that are carved from bark, called codices, that
were created by the ancient Maya. The Mixtec people of the Oaxaca region had a god like deity that
they called Seven Flowers. This god is always depicted with sacred mushrooms in its hands. The
most readily available and commonly used mushroom was called kaizlaj Okox by the Maya and
teonanácatl by the Aztec. The Latin name or the scientific name for this fungus is (Psilocybe
cubensis. ) This mushroom was eaten by being ground into a powder or they were eaten fresh. The
effects of this mushroom, are known to last multiple days depending on how large of a dose is taken
in one sitting, the feelings after eating some of these mushrooms include happines, objectivity from
reality, feelings of self–analysis and visual and auditory distortion. The Spaniard recorder of
indigenous practices Sahagun also provides a view of how the European and Spanish rulers reacted
to the practice of using "sacred mushrooms" He is quoted as giving the following

Jared Diamond Collapse Analysis
Questioning Collapse was born out of a November 2006 session of the American Anthropological
Association in response to Jared Diamond's Collapse. A collection of argumentative essays from
fifteen world–renowned scholars, the book aims to critically examine the question of societal
collapse and to make its arguments available to a wide audience. This "user–friendly text" reflects
on the idea that societal collapse may not be as evident in history as scholars have previously
portrayed. Instead, societies have frequently shown evidence of resilience in the face of
environmental, social, and political stress.
The book aim to address three questions: 1) "Why do we portray ancient societies as successes or
failure?" 2) "How do we characterize people ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
A universal definition of collapse should be determined because this topic has so much public
interest, and it is almost impossible to compare arguments when scholars cannot agree on what a
collapse is. If everyone has his or her own definition of collapse, the subject becomes too clouded to
comprehend. While I am no scholar, I identify most with Diamond's definition of collapse: "a drastic
decrease in human population size and/or political/economic/social complexity, over a considerable
area, for an extended time." It is accessible and aligns with the public's understanding of collapse.
Tainter's definition relies too heavily on his idea of society complexity, which is clearly problematic,
and Yoffee and McAnany's definition is too drastic. While a universal definition of collapse is vital,
a universal model may be hopeless. Societies across time and place are so diverse that prescribing
one reason for all of collapse seems far–fetched and beyond human capability. With that said, it
would be difficult to find instances of collapse that do not involve the environment. Humans are
animals, and are a part of nature, whether we wish to believe it or not. Thus, a changing
environment has a great impact on humans. Luckily, we have the power to adapt, and this has led
groups to be resilient and to succeed. It is our adaptability that

Fall Of The Mayan Empire Essay
Fall of the Maya Empire
From the late eighth through the end of the ninth century, something unknown happened to shake
the Maya civilization to its foundations. One city after another, cities starting from the southern
lowlands to the Yucatan Peninsula were abandoned, and by 900 A.D., Maya civilization in that
region had collapsed. Countless scholars have combed through the Maya ruins for clues to help
drive their own theories to what caused this massive empire to vanish. The fall of the Maya empire
has been hypothesized to three main scenarios, exhaustion of resources, feuding city–states and
rulers, and an extreme period of drought which contributed to the Maya demise.
Some believe that by the ninth century the Maya had exhausted the environment around them to the
point that it could no longer sustain an exponentially growing population. Other Maya scholars
argue that constant warfare among competing city–states led the complicated military, family (by
marriage) and trade alliances between them led to the breakdown, along with the traditional system
of divine power. Finally, some catastrophic environmental climate change, like an extremely long,
intense period of drought, may have wiped out the Maya civilization. By the time the Spanish
explorers arrived, however, most Maya were living in ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Through Archaeology and personal accounts recorded by first contact explorers, the Mayan
civilization built a network of structures with a constant connection to the heavens. Their belief
system valued multiple god and shamanism. With fierce barbarism, events of teamed games
entertained citizens called Pok–a–Tok, which the winners were sacrificed to the gods. This was
prevalent in the glyphs later deciphered from lost codices by eager scholars in the early 1970's
(Aveni, Saturno, Stuart,

Analysis Of Mary Miller 's ' Extreme Makeover '
The Ancient Maya are recognized for numerous accomplishments. Among their accomplishments
are the techniques they contributed to the Maya beauty rituals. Archaeological excavation penetrates
the Mayan people and their commitment to revolutionizing beauty. In Extreme Makeover, Mary
Miller determines the considerable lengths the ancient Mayan civilization endured to reconstruct
their bodies. They devoted endless measures of worth and persevered through unimaginable agony
to create a beautiful self–image. Comparable to our society, the Mayan people satisfied the illusion
of appearance by adopting the artistic imagery that conformed their society. "What did ancient Maya
men and women hope to see when they looked in their pyrite mirrors?" A source of inspiration came
from the ruler K'inich Janaab' Pakal, or Pakal the Great, who reigned over the city of Palenque from
612 to 683 A.D. Thorough examination into the remains of Pakal uncovers the definitive beauty that
influenced many ancient Mayan men. ¬Through their artistry and the examination of their remains
we can begin to comprehend what propelled their quest for physical perfection. Beginning with her
expedition to Palenque in 1975, and throughout a 30 year span as a Mesoamerican historian, Miller
begins to discover an understanding of the Mayan beauty rituals that shaped their society. She
considers the reliance Pakal the Great retained for physical perfection. Thorough examination of his
remains revealed that a cranial

Ancient Maya Excavation Paper
The Maya epitomize the ancient traditions of civilization in Central America. This excavation will
take place in the Maya site of Cahal Pech in the Cayo District of Belize, which consists of
ceremonial centers, temples, elite and servant quarters. The focus of this excavation will be directed
towards the elite (plaza A) and servant quarters (plaza F & G). We will be focusing on these specific
quarters in order to compare artifacts found that could possibly reveal the existence or non–
existence of the separation between elites and servants, along with their daily activities. My
excavation team consists of a zooarchaeologist who specializes in animal bones, a lithic technologist
to analyze any stone technology, as well as a ceramic analyst. Using specific dating techniques such
as thermoluminescence as well as radiocarbon dating we could assume this site was founded in the
Early Middle Pre–Classic period and continued to thrive as a Maya city until at least the end of the
Classic period. For the ancient Maya, social organization remains largely understood as a two–class
system of commoner and elite. The Mayans employed ritual and public practices as a means of
social differentiation. Excavations at the ancient Maya site of Cahal Pech could identify
considerable diversity between the elite quarter and ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
It would be referring to artifacts that represented the neck, rim, appendage, or base of a vessel. An
analysis of ceramics, stone tools, or even animals bones would establish the chronology of the
settlement zone. We are aware that the dates for these artifacts may only represent the last periods of
occupation, as deeper subsurface layers of the stratigraphy often contain the earliest materials. Most
of the excavation work would be done with a shovel, but whenever fragile artifacts are encountered,
the hand trowel becomes the tool of

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 on Helpwriting.net
...
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

Ancient Maya Values and Development

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