Post on 19-Mar-2016
description
The Maya
250 BC to 1190 AD
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
MAYAS
MAYA
KINGDOM
Astronomers Calculated Lunar and Solar Eclipses
– Used that information to have “Festivals” Understanding of the Solar Position in
the sky
Mathematicians Had a system based on 20 Recognized the zero (unlike the
Romans for instance) One two three four five six eight nine ten nineteen twenty
Architects Build Magnificent Temples and Places
for Commerce and Games
Mayan Economy 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
Commonly Bartered Items
Social Structure The Social
Pyramid– Priests– nobles wealthy– commoners and
low-level govern officers
– slaves and servants
Priest
GAME The Maya had a ball game
called Pok-A-Tok. It was played on an odd shaped field.
The object of the game was to move a hard rubber ball without the use of hands or feet through a hoop.
There is debate whether it was the losing team or the winning team that was sacrificed.
GAME
Decapitation scene at ball court,
GAME
Demise of the Mayas 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).
– Catastrophism Earthquakes Hurricanes
– Evolution Main idea was that social collapse occurred
due to over population and lack of food supply– Disease brought by Spanish
Demise of the Mayas (continuation)
Demise of the Mayas (continuation)
Social– Demography
Higher rate of female to male ratios led to a collapse of social order
– Social Structure– Invasion