Objective: Students will be able to evaluate the strengths (Golden Age) and weaknesses (decline and fall) of Mayan Civilization. Question of the Day: Should the Maya be considered a classical civilization? Do now: Begin MC Questions Be nice now Homework: Maya comparison

Pre-Classic(2600 B.C.E-250 B.C.E) Classic (250 C.E-900 C.E) Mayan Collapse Post-Classic period ( C.E)

It is notice of the demise/expiration of a person Tonight it will be used for the Maya It highlights important events, achievements and advancements compared to others. Provides a who what where and why Is created to provide a legacy as well as a cause of death What yours read?

Densely populated urban and ceremonial centers No city-state ever succeeded in creating a unified empire Ruled by "state shamans" who could mediate with divine Tikal was the most important political center of the Mayan realm at its height Tikal's population was around 50,000 people, with 50,000 more in hinterland (The land directly adjacent to and inland from a coast.)

Necessary to provide the subsistence needs of a large population : environment of Maya lowlands was limiting in terms of landforms, thin soils, seasonal drought, an absence of permanent natural water sources The Maya established one of the largest and most complex civilizations in the New World before modern times. Sophisticated agricultural practices included TERRACING: creation of amount of arable land by flattening slopes, capturing soils, and controlling water runoff in areas where erosion prevents cultivation

What was life like in the Mayan Civilization? Land divided into city - states (major city and surrounding towns) were headed by a ruler who was often a priest Frequent warfare; capture & sacrifice of prisoners Mostly involved in agriculture Large-scale human engineering projects: swamp drainage, terracing, water management system Supported a substantial elite and artisan class Leader Nobles Trade/warriors Farmers/slaves

What was life like in the Mayan Civilization? Mayan civilization had unique ideas of beauty Crossed Eyes: Considered particularly beautiful Babies were given objects to stare at to encourage crossed eyes High, flat, sloping forehead Tied boards to babies foreheads

What did Mayan People believe? Polytheistic (more than one god) Gods were not good or evil, Religious ceremonies closely tied to natural cycles ( moon phases, seasons, etc.) Religious ceremonies consisted of singing, dancing, competitions, dramatic performances, and some human sacrifice Human sacrifice usually voluntary Participants gives blood or pieces (arms, tongue, eye, etc) to the god

What was the role of priests in Mayan society? Believed priests could talk to gods Most daily life directed by priests Decided: when to plant, who could marry, sometimes leaders Mayan people believed in an afterlife Heaven was reserved for people who died in sacrifice, childbirth or hanged Hell or xibal was for everyone else

What did Mayan People believe? Believed in the underworld, the sky and the Earth Knowing the past meant knowing the cycle of the present and knowing the present provided information for knowing the future This focus on time led to development of sophisticated calendars and time keepers: they interwove a solar year of 365 days and a ceremonial calendar of 260 days After an interval of 52 solar years, the ceremonial & solar Mayan calendars returned to their respective starting points. The end of a cycle would bring monumental change.

What are some contributions the Mayan civilization made to the world? Most complex writing system in the Americas Development of advanced mathematical system based on units of 20 (vigesimal) Art and architecture Temple building City development Pyramids, palaces, public plazas

Hieroglyphics Each picture had its own meaning. The Maya could write in full sentences and even stories. A story was made by drawing several pictures together. The Maya covered their cities and buildings with hieroglyphs carved into the stone. Most Mayas could read some hieroglyphs. But priests and nobles were probably the only people who knew the whole language. The Maya carved these symbols into stone, and made books from tree bark. They would take one strip of bark and fold it over and over to make pages. These "books" were wrapped with wood and deer hid. Each image was first outlined with black ink made of a coal base. The first drawing was done with a tool made from the thorns of the maguey cactus or from chips and bones of small animals including birds. Brushes were made of animal hair. Using color to illustrate the codices was not done just for looks. Colors and shades of colors meant a lot The Maya gave a special meaning to each color, which they related with gods, nature and the sky. People thought the writers were in touch with the gods. The codices were considered sacred. The books were kept in special rooms inside temples and important buildings.

Number System Instead of ten digits like we have today, the Maya used a base number of 20 in their mathematics. They also used a system of bars and dots as "shorthand" for counting. A dot stood for one and a bar stood for five. It was very easy to add and subtract using this number system. They did not use fractions. Adding is just a matter of adding up dots and bars. Maya merchants often used cocoa beans, which they laid out on the ground, to do these calculations.

The Indian civilizations of South and Central America have a rich musical culture. Flutes, including panpipes and whistles were most important. Rattles, scraper and drums were also used. There is no evidence of stringed instruments at all! A whistle flute, sometimes called a fipple flute is a flute blown from the end. Air is sent through a simple mouthpiece against the sharp edge of a hole cut in the pipe below the mouthpiece. It can be made of clay, wood cane. Finger holes make more than one pitch possible. MAYANMAYAN M U S I C

They carved jade into figures and jewelry and also used jade to make masks. And they did this without metal tools. Their terra cotta figurines and polychrome vases are admired not only because they are very old, but as fine works of art. This vase is from Campeche from about 1,400 years ago. Mayan Arts

Mayan Architecture Temple of Kukulkan, Chichen Itza, Mexico

Mayan Ball Game The Mayan Ball game was the first organized game in the history of sports. The Mayan Ball Game was not only an exciting and dangerous sport, it was also a complex ritual based on religious beliefs. Often people were killed as part of this ritual. Mayans believed the only way to keep life happy and growing was to sacrifice a valuable human being.

Political- city states (Palenque,Tikal,Chichen Itza), ceremonial centers, formidable military, prisoners of war, priest-kings(divine) Economic- regional trade, merchants, use of numeric system, currency (cocoa beans), slavery, agricultural products (corn,tomato, beans, etc.) Religious- polytheistic (animism), Creation myth(apocalypse ) in Mayan Codices, sacrifices and offerings Intellectual/Artistic- terrace farming, slash/burn, musical instruments, Maya ball game, astronomy, calendar, engineering( temples, ceremonial centers),

During the classical Age, both the Maya and Greece were made up of decentralized political structures known as city-states, both utilized monumental building to illustrate polytheistic beliefs, however, Greece’s Mediterranean naval power would connect diverse cultures and climates while the Maya would be regionally isolated along the Yucatan peninsula. Or In the Classical Age the Maya was decentralized with regional theocratic city- states in Tikal and Palenque while Rome was a centralized Republic then Empire. The Maya independently innovated astronomy and mathematics while Rome was the heir to the Hellenistic philosophy. Rome and Maya, however, both engineered monumetal irrigation systems which may have contributed to their decline in the end

Why did the Mayan Civilization end? Rapid collapse in the century after a long-term drought began in 840 CE - population dropped by at least 85% Extremely rapid population growth after 600 CE outstripped resources Political disunity and rivalry prevented a coordinated response to climatic catastrophe Warfare became more frequent It took 170 years for the Spanish to get control of Mayan lands. Mayans remained independent until the 1700s Other theories? Mayan culture, language, and art still practiced

Government fails to respond to the following 5 points Damaged Environment Deforestation and erosion Climate Change Draught Hostilities Fought amongst themselves Politics Competition among kings and nobles that led to chronic war and erecting monuments instead of solving problems Trade Trade with external societies was not a factor because of their seclusion They traded amongst themselves… or