Mayan Civilization

OLMECS AND MAYAS
Based on: http://www.slideshare.net/jmarazas/wh-
chapter-7-olmecs-and-mayas#

LEGACY OF THE OLMECS
 The earliest American civilization emerged in the
tropical forests along the Mexican Gulf Coast
 The Olmec civilization lasted from about 1400BC-
500BC
 Archaeologists know very little about the Olmecs
 Rich tombs and temples suggest that a powerful
class of priests and aristocrats stood at the top of
Olmec society
 The Olmecs did not build cities---instead they built
ceremonial centers

 The most dramatic remains of the Olmec civilization
are the giant carved stone heads found in the ruins
of a religious center at La Venta
 No one knows how the Olmecs moved these
colossal 40-ton stones from distant quarries without
wheeled vehicles or draft animals

 Through trade, Olmec influence spread over a wide
area
 The Olmecs invented a calendar and used carved
inscriptions as a form of writing
 Their most important legacy may be the tradition of
priestly leadership and religious devotion that
became a basic part of later Middle American
civilizations

INTRODUCTION TO THE MAYANS
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkTaSiAmnwg

THE WORLD OF THE MAYAS
 Between 300AD-900AD Mayan city-states
flourished from the Yucatan in southern Mexico
through much of Central America
 Mayans used a unique method of farming in the
tropical environment---they cleared the dense rain
forests and then built raised fields that caught and
held rainwater
 They also built channels to drain excess water
 This complex system produced enough maize
(native corn) and other crops to support rapidly
growing cities

YUCATAN PENINSULA AND MAYAN EMPIRE

TEMPLES AND PALACES
 Towering pyramid temples dominated the largest
Mayan city of Tikal, located in present-day
Guatemala
 Priests climbed steep temple stairs to perform
sacrifices while the people watched from the plazas
below
 The Mayan pyramids remained the tallest
structures in the world until 1903 when the Flatiron
Building skyscraper was built in New York City

TEMPLES AND PALACES
 Tikal also boasted large palaces and huge stone
pillars covered with carvings
 The carvings recorded event in Mayan history
 Much of the wealth of Tikal and other Mayan cities
came from trade
 Goods traded included: honey, cocoa, cotton
cloth, and feathers

ENGINEERING AN EMPIRE
 Watch the episode of Engineering and Empire and
describe the building techniques and importance of:
 Tikal
 Palenque
 Chichen Itza

SOCIAL CLASSES
 Each Mayan city has its own ruling chief
 Nobles served as military leaders and officials who
managed public works, collected taxes, and
enforced laws
 Rulers were usually men, however, Mayan records
and carvings show that women occasionally
governed on their own or in the name of young
sons
 Priests held great power because only they could
conduct the elaborate ceremonies needed to
ensure good harvests and success in war

SOCIAL CLASSES
 Most Mayans were farmers
 They grew corn, beans, squash---the basic food
crops of Middle America---as well as fruit
trees, cotton, and brilliant tropical flowers
 Men grew the crops while women turned them into
food
 To support the cities, farmers paid taxes in food and
helped build the temples

ADVANCES IN LEARNING
 The Mayans developed a hieroglyphic writing
system, which has only recently been deciphered
 Mayan scribes kept their sacred knowledge in
books made of bark (Spanish conquistadors later
burned most of these books but a handful were
taken to Europe and are in museums)
 Many priests were expert mathematicians and
astronomers and developed an accurate 365-day
solar calendar
 Mayan priests invented a numbering system and
understood the concept of zero

ENTERTAINMENT: MAYAN BALL GAME
 1st Team Sport in History (3500 years ago)
 Much of society revolved around the game
 Survival of both the players and spectators
depended upon the results of the game
 Mayans sacrificed people to the gods to keep the
sun shining, crops growing and keep people
healthy.
 What was more valuable than a ball player??

MAYAN BALL GAME
 The goal of the game was to pass the ball
around, without having it touch your hands, and
then get the ball to pass through one of the rings.
 Since the rings were so high and players were not
allowed to use their hands, it was extremely difficult
to get the ball through a ring.
 In fact, when a player did manage to get a ball
through a ring, that usually ended the game.
 People would gamble on the results

MAYAN BALL GAME
https://www.youtube.com/watch
?v=_ZYpRsxqfFg

WHAT’S UP WITH THE MAYAN CALENDAR?
 Was supposedly supposed to end on the Winter
Solstice in December 2012
 Calendar wasn’t invented by the Mayans, most
cultures in the areas used it
 Consists of 3 different wheels – Date, Tzolkin
(Divine) and Haab (Civil)
 A typical Mayan date would read: 13.0.0.0.0 4 Ahau
8 Kumku, where 13.0.0.0.0 is the Long Count
date, 4 Ahau is the Tzolkin date and 8 Kumku is the
Haab date.
 Works in a cycle and a set number of days needs to
occur before a new cycle begins

MAYAN CALENDAR
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2f3Ae
JOPyI

DECLINE
 About 900AD, the Mayans abandoned their
cities, leaving their great stone palaces and temples
to be swallowed up by the jungle (some of these
were not “rediscovered” till modern times)
 No one knows for sure why the Mayan civilization
declined
 Some remnants of the civilization survive today:
millions of people in Guatemala and southern
Mexico speak Mayan languages and are
descendents from the original Mayans

INVESTIGATION
 Exercise to determine why the Mayans fell
 Some causes may have been---frequent
warfare, overpopulation and over farming, and
heavy taxes

OTHER SOURCES
 http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/worldhi
story/mayanballgame.htm
 http://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/mayan.html

Mayan Civilization

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