1. The Maya & The Moche & The Nazca

2. Maya

3. Maya
Classic Period
250 CE to 900 CE

4. Maya 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
Maya

5. MAYAS
Maya
MAYA
KINGDOM

6. Maya Social Structure The Social Pyramid King & royal family Priests
Nobles / wealthy
Commoners and low-level govern officers
Slaves and servants
Maya

7. Maya

8. Glyphs
Mayans created the most advanced pre-colonial writing in the Western Hemisphere
Over 800 different images were used to record their history
Created bound “books” called Codices (Codex)
Maya
king
sky
house
child

9. Maya

11. Maya 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 few Mayan books that survived
Three in European museums
Fourth ? (found in 1970’s – not verified)
Maya

12. Maya Mathematicians Had a system based on 20
Recognized the zero (unlike the Romans for instance)
Maya

13. Astronomy Masters of the Night Sky- known for their observatories
Accurately charted the planets by using a forked stick like implement
Created an accurate yearly calendar

14. Maya Astronomers Calculated Lunar and Solar Eclipses
Used that information to have “Festivals”
Understanding of the Solar Position in the sky
Maya

15. El Caracol. The “observatory.”

16. Mayan Calendars
Created a 365 day calendar based on the movement of the sun.
Dual calendar also included religious festivals.
Maya

17. Amazing architects, but were not able to create a true arch
Maya

18. Maya

19. Maya

20. Temple complex at Tikal

21. Tikal. Guatemala.

22. Maya

23. Artist reconstruction of Copan. Honduras.

24. Great warriors
Maya

25. Drinking vessel. Ceremonial hunting scene with heralds blowing conch shell horns.
Maya

26. Maya Mayan Economy Active Merchants
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, which they used as currency.
Maya

27. Commonly Bartered Items
Maya

28. Human Sacrifice and Bloodletting Ritual
Religion
Maya
Human Sacrifice and Bloodletting Ritual

29. Religion: Importance of Agriculture
Mayan religion reflected the fundamental role of agriculture in their society
Popol Vuh, was the Mayan creation myth that taught that the gods had created human beings out of maize and water
Gods kept the world in order and maintained the agricultural cycle in exchange for honors and sacrifices
Maya

30. Mayan Religious Beliefs
Believed that gods controlled everything
Priests had great influence because Mayans thought priests could talk to the gods
Polytheism
Mayan Religious Beliefs
Food and animal sacrifices common; humans (such as defeated tribes) sometimes
Gods symbolized as animals: Rain God = snake, Sun God = Jaguar, Death God= bat

31. Religion: Bloodletting Rituals
Mayans believed the shedding of human blood would prompt the gods to send rain to water the maize
Bloodletting involved both war captives and Mayan royals
Mayan queen holds a bowl filled with strips of paper used to collect blood.

32. Religion: Bloodletting
A popular bloodletting ritual was for a Mayan to pierce his own tongue and thread a thin rope through the hole, thus letting the blood run down the rope
Maya

33. Religion: The Ball Game
Maya
Mayans inherited a rubber ball game from the Olmecs that was an important part of Mayan political and religious festivals
High-ranking captives were forced to play the game for their very lives.

34. Mayan Ball Court
Maya

35. Maya The GAME The ball game was called Pok-A-Tok.
Object of the game was to propel an 8 inch ball of solid baked rubber through a ring or onto a marker without using your hands or feet
There is debate whether it was the losing team or the winning team that was sacrificed.
Maya

36. The GAME
Maya
Decapitation scene at ball court

37. Maya

38. Mystery
Maya
Debate over why several sites were abandoned

39. Demise of the Mayan Civilization
Natural
Ecology
Soil Exhaustion
Water Loss and Erosion
Savana Grass Competition (Continual burning of soil led to end original forest and converted into man-made grass land. Problem, Mayas did not have toil equipment).
Maya

40. Maya Demise of the Mayas Catastrophic events Evolution Disease
Earthquakes
Hurricanes
Evolution
Main idea was that social collapse occurred due to over population and lack of food supply
Disease
Maya

41. Maya Demise of the Mayas Social Demography Social Structure Invasion
Higher rate of female to male ratios led to a collapse of social order
Social Structure
Invasion
Maya

42. Mayan people today
Maya

43. Maya Mayan people today Throughout Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras
Discriminated minority.
Mostly poor and rural.
Maintain some language and a few cultural arts and traditions.
Mostly Catholic, but practice blended faith.

44. Moche

45. Moche The Moche culture
Found in the Lambayeque Valley, Peru from 100 to 700 AD.
The culture left impressive archaeological sites and some of the most outstanding pottery to be seen in Peru's museums, is named after the river which flows into the ocean just south of Trujillo. 
The word Mochica has been used interchangeably with Moche and refers to a dialect spoken in the Trujillo area at the time of the conquest, though not necessarily spoken by the Moche people. Moche is now the preferred usage.
Moche

46. Moche Social Structure
The most important people, especially the priests and warriors, were members of the urban classes and lived closest to the large ceremonial pyramids and other temples. 
They were surrounded by a middle class of artisans and then, in descending order: farmers and fishermen, servants, slaves and beggars.  
Moche

47. Moche Social Structure
The priests and warriors were both honored and obeyed. They are the people most frequently shown in ceramics, which depict them being carried in litters wearing particularly fine jewelry or clothing.
Their authority is evident from pots showing scenes of punishment, including the mutilation and death of those who dared to disobey. 
Moche

48. Moche Ceramics and Metallurgy
Clothing, musical instruments, tools and jewelry are all frequent subjects for ceramics.
As there was no written language, most of what we know about the Moche comes from this wealth of pottery. 
Moche

49. Moche Ceramics and Metallurgy
The ceramics also show us that the Moche had well-developed weaving techniques but, because of rare rainstorms every few decades, most of their textiles have been destroyed. 
Metalwork, on the other hand, has survived. They used gold, silver and copper mainly for ornaments but some heavy copper implements have also been found.
Moche

51. Sipan Site, northern part of Peru
Moche

52. Moche Lord of Sipan Fully intact noble/leader tomb of found in 1987.
Most important because tomb was untouched
He probably ruled approximately 200 A.D. and died about 40 years of age.
Moche

53. Lord of Sipan
A re-creation of the tomb, aids and wives were buried with him.
The Moche believed in the afterlife and many of their pottery remains show people in a meditative pose.
Moche

54. Nazca

55. Nazca
Located on the south coast, began in 100 BC and was greatly influenced by Chavin and reached its height between the 3rd and 9th centuries AD.
It was militaristic and aristocratic, with a strong social class structure.
They built underground aqueducts to bring water from the mountains for agriculture.
Nazca

56. Nazca
Nazca is best known for the Nazca Lines, geometric designs and animals constructed by paths across the desert and best seen from the air.
Their purpose is not known but some archaeologists believe they are related to the mountain gods.
Nazca

57. Nazca Lines
Nazca
Hummingbird

58. Bird
Nazca

59. Lizard
Nazca

60. Spider
Nazca

61. Fish
Nazca

62. Nazca Textiles
Nazca

63. Video: The Maya