1. MAYA CIVILIZATION

2. MAYA TIMELINE First Evidence of Mayan 2600BCE Olmec1200-1000 BCE Early Preclassic Maya 1800-900 BCE Middle Preclassic Maya 900-300 BCE Late Preclassic Maya 300 BCE - CE 250 Early Classic Maya 250-600 CE Late Classic Maya 600-900 CE Post Classic Maya 900-1500 CE Colonial period 1500-1800 CE Independent Mexico 1821 to the present

3. MAYA GEOGRAPHY Lowlands – West borders Pacific Ocean, fertile plain – Yucatan Peninsula – Cenotes (excavated caverns) for water in east Highlands – granite and volcanic area of Sierra Madre (Mexican Chiapas, Guatemala, Honduras) – Rich land, abundant water – Concentrated settlement

4. MAYA HISTORY Did not record history or daily lives, so much of what we know comes from archaeology and European (colonial) records Many holes in our knowledge, and educated guesses

5. Bishop Diego de Landa best known for two reasons: 1 st – He thought the Maya books were inspired by the devil, so he had them all destroyed 2 nd – 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

6. MAYA HISTORY Never recognized themselves as one people Related dialects – similar language City-states (Palenque, Copan, Chichen Itza) No king or emperor but nobility/preisthood City-states tried to dominate each other (We’ll see similar trend with Ancient Greeks)

7. MAYA HISTORY Olmec lived in tropical lowlands of south-central Mexico Provided basis for Mesoamerican civilizations Bloodletting, glyphs similar to Maya Distinctive art (colossal heads)

8. MAYA ART Stelae – carved stone monuments Rulers in elaborate costumes Often with texts that described lineage and accomplishments Headdress, ceremonial bar

9. MAYA ART Pacal death mask Love of jade Pottery popular

10. MAYA ARCHITECTURE Houses of poles and thatch (cool) Tikal (left) and Palenque (right)

11. MAYA SOCIETY class society Caste (membership hereditary and movement rare) Little known about women, but evidence of city-state queens Nobility Priests Warriors Craftsmen Traders Farmers Workers Slaves

12. MAYA CULTURE Corn (maize), beans, squash, chilies for flavour, domesticated turkey Loved dance, music pok-a-tuk (pok-a-tok) Maya ball game Losers (including coach) sacrificed http://www.ballgame.org/main.asp

13. MAYA CULTURE Pierced ears, tattoos, body painting, straight black hair, Large headdress for importance (Pacal, leader of Palenque, to right)

14. MAYA TRADE AND ECONOMY Salt valued from Yucatan coast (preserve food, medicine, religious ceremonies) from north granite from low mountains of Belize Jade, volcanic glass, and obsidian from Chiapas highlands of western Guatemala Tikal and Copan ‘middlemen’ cities in trade

15. Cacao – “heart blood” Cacao – raw bitter form of chocolate Used in trade – prized commodity

16. MAYA ECONOMY/TRADE Quetzal feathers for nobility headdress Extensive trade over 1000 miles Porters carry goods (no beasts of burden)

17. Commonly Bartered Items

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

19. Mayan Numbers The Mayans had a number system consisting of shells, dots, and lines. You could write up to nineteen with just these symbols. The Maya were one of the only ancient civilizations that understood the concept of zero. This allowed them to write very large numbers

20. MAYA TEHNOLOGY/INNOVATION 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 – tracked solar 365 calendar Predicted eclipses of the sun

21. MAYA WRITING Writing 800 glyphs (picture/symbol represents an object, idea, or sound Read left to right and top to bottom Only elite could read as writing considered to be gift from the gods Wrote many books (destroyed by Spanish)

22. Religion and Education Human Sacrifice and Bloodletting Ritual

23. Religion: Importance of Agriculture Mayan religion reflected the fundamental role of agriculture in their society 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 Gods kept the world in order and maintained the agricultural cycle in exchange for honors and sacrifices

24. 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.

25. 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