Do indigenous groups disappear?

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Who are the Maya? Where did they go when their civilization fell?

• Glyphs, written accounts of Maya history at sites of city-states

• Dresden, Madrid and Paris Codices to help translate glyphs

• Popul Vuh- creation history of the Maya, Hero Twins, etc.

• De Landa’s alphabet and written accounts• Oral history

The Hero Twins

Who were the Ancient Maya?

• Common Geography• Common arithmetic• Common calendar• Common writing system• Agriculture and food production• Cosmology, Religion and Rituals• Architecture• Independent city-states• Social class and hierarchy• languages• Clothing, adornment and textile production

The Mayan Civilization

When?

• Pre Classic Period 2000 BCE – 250 CE• Classic Period 250 CE – 900 CE• Post Classic Period 900 CE – 1500 CE

• Where did they go after 1500??

The Conquest of the Maya

• The Spaniards’ arrival • Alvarado

Conflicts confronted by the Maya

• Decline of civilization– Drought– Warfare- internal and external conflicts– Migration to the Highlands from City-States– Invasion of the Spanish– Disease brought by Europeans– 300 years of Spanish Rule– Guatemalan Civil War– Modern Day- Technology, struggle to fit in

Diego de Landa, the Inquisition

Who are the Maya today?

• Who identifies as being Maya today?• Where do they live?• What language(s) do they speak?• What is the Mayas’ social status?• What is the Mayas’ economic, educational, employment

status?• What does the future hold for the Maya today? What

pressures do the Maya face from society, violence, internal and external forces?

• Land confiscation from the Maya• Movement to the cities for work, education

What does the future hold?