The Maya. Classic Period Either 250 BC to 950 AD Or 10 AD to 1190 AD.
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Transcript of The Maya. Classic Period Either 250 BC to 950 AD Or 10 AD to 1190 AD.
The Mayas We know they were not called Mayas When Spaniards arrived, the major city
was MAYAPAN (thus the name the Mayas)
The only great civilization to be located in the “jungle”
Primarily the Yucatan peninsula and northern central America
Bishop Diego de Landa Bishop Diego de Landa is best known for
two reasons: 1st – He thought the Maya books were
inspired by the devil, so he had them all destroyed
2nd – Recognizing his mistake, several years later returned to Yucatan and wrote ““Relacion de las Cosas de Yucatan.”
This book based on the three Mayan books that survived
Astronomers Calculated Lunar and Solar Eclipses
– Used that information to have “Festivals” Understanding of the Solar Position in
the sky
Mathematicians Had a system based on 20 Recognized the zero (unlike the
Romans for instance) One two three four five six eight nine ten nineteen twenty
Maya Civilization Expert Astronomers Great Mathematicians Good architects though were not able
to complete the arch
Maya Civilization Expert Astronomers Great Mathematicians Good architects though were not able
to complete the arch Great warriors
Maya Civilization Expert Astronomers Great Mathematicians Good architects though were not able
to complete the arch Great warriors Active Merchants (Used Cocoa as currency)
Mayan Economy A trade system existed through which salt,
obsidian, jade, cacao, animal pelts, tropical bird feathers, luxury ceramics and other goods flowed.
Goods from the highlands were traded with those of the lowlands. Obsidian was made into tools and weapons.
People either bartered goods directly or exchanged them for cacao beans
Maya Civilization Expert Astronomers Great Mathematicians Good architects though were not able
to complete the arch Great warriors Active Merchants (Used Cocoa as currency)
Social Structure
Social Structure The Social
Pyramid– Priests– nobles wealthy– commoners and
low-level govern officers
– slaves and servants
Priest
Maya Civilization Expert Astronomers Great Mathematicians Good architects though were not able
to complete the arch Great warriors Active Merchants (Used Cocoa as currency)
Advances In Medicine
Maya Medicine 1. ULCERS, GASTRITIS
Mineral crystal stone. Put in water and drink the water every day. For sores in the mouth, put directly on affected area. No side effects. For thousands of years the Mayan elders have been using this practice. Prepared by thegreat grand niece of H'me Elijio Panti. $7.50 (US)
Maya Medicine 9. DIABETES,
HYPOGLYCEMIA, BLOOD SUGAR STABILIZER Billy Webb Bark Tea. Boil one hand full of bark. Drink 1/2 cup of tea twice daily, until blood sugar stabilizes. $7.50 (US)
10. DIARRHEA Traveler's Tonic. Take 3 tablespoons every hour for as long as condition persists. $7.50 (US)
Maya Civilization Expert Astronomers Great Mathematicians Good architects though were not able to
complete the arch Great warriors Active Merchants (Used Cocoa as currency)
Advances In Medicine Games
GAME The Maya had a ball game
called Pok-A-Tok. It was played on an odd shaped field.
The object of the game was to move a hard rubber ball without the use of hands or feet through a hoop.
There is debate whether it was the losing team or the winning team that was sacrificed.
Mystery Question: Debate over why several sites are
shown to have been abandon? – They left site due to Natural Disasters– They left site due to over crowding– They abandon Commercial and Religion
sites but did not move
Demise of the Mayas Natural
– Ecology Soil Exhaustion (Cook and Sanders) Water Loss and Erosion (Cooke and
Ricketson) Savana Grass Competition (Cook and
Morley) (Continual burning of soil led to end original forest and converted into man-made grass land. Problem, Mayas did not have toil equipment).
– Catastrophism Earthquakes (Mackie) Hurricanes
– Evolution (Meggers) Main idea was that social collapse occurred
due to over population and lack of food supply
– Disease (Meggers)
Demise of the Mayas (continuation)
Demise of the Mayas (continuation)
Social– Demography (Cowgill and Hutchinson)
Higher rate of female to male ratios led to a collapse of social order
– Social Structure (Thompson, Altscheler, and Kidder)
– Invasion (Adams, Cowgill, Sabloff and Willey)
Abandon Commercial and Religious Centers
Commercial and Religious Center (CRC)
Various Households
New CRC
New CRC