Notes

OVERVIEW OF HISTORY:
The Mayan Civilization was one of the most significant indigenous societies in Central America
Its history is separated into three periods:
Pre-classical Period: 1800 BC - A.D 250 , beginning of civilization
Classical Period: A.D 250 - 900 , Mayans thrive into their peak society
Post-classical Period: A.D. 900 - 1500, Mayan cities become abandoned

LOCATION
The Mayans lived in Mesoamerica’s different regions with varying lands, such as mountains and dry plains in which the mayans living in the low plains near the sea were impacted by hurricanes and tropical storms
Mayans inhabited the Yucatan Peninsula, modern-day Guatemala, Belize, and in parts of Mexican states Tabasco and Chiapas in addition to Honduras and El Salvador
The areas are known as the northern Maya lowlands, southern lowlands, and the southern Maya highlands, which included different environments and cultures

PEOPLE N SOCIETY
Early Mayans grew crops including corn, beans, and squash
Practiced mathematics, astronomy, architecture, and visual art
About 40 cities thrived during the Classical period
Cities usually held 5,000 to 50,000 people with the Mayan population peaking towards nearly 2 million people
Adopted advanced methods to farm and build, which included irrigation and terracing
They Prioritized record keeping bc it helped the mayans decide the best times to plant crops and predict planetary cycles
The mayans weren't ruled by a single ruler, but they had a ruler in each of their states

CULTURE
Enjoyed games, such as Poc-a-Toc, a ball game on a court with an objective to score a rubber ball through a vertical hoop without using the hands or feet
Most culture of the Mayans became discovered from hieroglyphs of Mayan life found on the Mayans' constructed temples
They developed traditions for sculptures and carvings

RELIGION
Mayans were very religious
Partook in religious rituals to appease the gods and show devotion (Human sacrifice, torture) and believed that disorder will occur if the rituals weren't completed
They held Incense ceremonies and believed their ceremonies would give them wind and rain
Believed in cyclical nature of life - nothing was born or ever died
Caves were seen as an entrance to the underworld
Believed in many deities, one of the most significant was Itzamna, who was the god of important opposing forces, such as life and death or night and day

CLOTHING
Wore exotic and vibrant clothing and decorated their outfits with jewelry such as bracelets and necklaces
Made clothes for all occasions, including sports, dances, and fights
Everyday clothing for men: loincloths, short shirts,
Everyday clothing for women: huipil (wee-peel) blouses, long skirts
Wore jewelry
Hair was mainly tied up and decorated
Used animal skins, bird feathers, insects for dye, plants, shells, and stones

CURRENCY
Traded with other cultures in Mesoamerica
No universal currency for Mayan regions
Values differed between areas where the price became higher the farther away the item was from their source
Used objects as currency and for trade:
Greenstone beads
Cacao beans
Copper bells
Salt
Sea shells
Jade
Obsidian which was very favorable for trade and use

INVENTIONS/ACHIEVEMENTS
Developed a system of writing with hieroglyphs
Calendar Round (365 days) which reset every 52 years
Long Count Calendar (5000+ years) which was used to count forward from a date in the past
Earliest use of chocolate and rubber from discovery
Developed the number zero as a placeholder
Made detailed observations of space
Predicted eclipses by noting the positions for the moon and venus

MONUMENTS
Aligned construction with the Sun and stars
Built observatories
Pyramids were made to replicate the mountain of the gods, called the Witzob
Many temples and palaces were built in a stepped pyramid shape with detailed inscriptions
Pyramids were made for gods or to offer sacrifices to gods,
the pyramids made for sacrifices held the most important ceremonies
the pyramids made for the gods were restricted from all human contact

DECLINE
the civilization Did not vanish, but
Cities became abandoned
however, the Highlands Maya continued to thrive during this time
the Cause for decline is unknown, but there are
Multiple potential reasons:
Drought
Deforestation
War
Population outnumbered resources

INFLUENCE:
Over six million Mayans live today in Central America and many still follow mayan tradition and speak mayan languages
Mayan calendar influenced modern calendars
The zero
Rubber
Chocolate are still used today