Mayan Cities, Religion, Science, and Decline

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

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

Caracol – the perfect example of Mayan Drainage

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

The Chiltun – The Mayan Fridge

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

Temple IV The Temple of the Giant Jaguar

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

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

The Ceiba Tree and Xibalba

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

Obsidian Blade - Obsidian is volcanic glass

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

Tikal and the Pleiades

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