Mayan History: A Brief Look At An Ancient Civilization
Mayan History can be traced to prehistoric times up until the present day. The Maya are one of the most developed civilizations in Mesoamerica. The ancestors of the present day Mayas are believed to come to the region by way of the Bering Strait over 20,000 years ago. Originally a nomadic people of hunters and gatherers there is evidence dating to 9000 BC of the establishment of settlements. There is archaeological evidence found in Mexico of a settled area dating back to 5000 to 15000 BC. Artifacts related to corn cultivation, basic pottery and stone tools were also found from that period.
Mayan Civilization originated in the Yucatan at around 2600 BC and rose to its height around 250 AD in what we call today Southern Mexico, Guatemala, Western Honduras, El Salvador, and Northern Belize. Much of the Mayan Existence is founded on their mother civilization called Olmec. The Mayan adapted and adopted the Olmec culture but expanded and created upon it to make it what we know as Mayan.
Mayan History shows that although the Mayan territories shared a like culture each area was ran as an independent state. The many Mayan areas did not function as one unified empire. Mayan religion and politics overlapped and many times political heads and nobility were also priests. It was a patriarchal society, upon occasion a women would have an inherited position of power. The king and head priest may even have been one and the same; where chosen based on hierarchy. The oldest male heir to the throne was next in line for succession.
There was also a class system. You had the Rulers/Priests and Nobility and the Farming/ Laboring classes. Between the ruling classes and farming class was the educated nobility. This class served as scribes, artists and architects. Mayan history also shows that there was slavery in their civilization. The slaves were usually those captives caught in war or other military maneuvers, illegitimate children and orphans. Some of the highlights of Mayan history include their writing system of hieroglyphics, their complicated calendar system, their mathematics astronomy and their architecture. Science and religion were one and the same in Mayan culture so everything was created and used to serve both religious beliefs and life in one way or another. Premised on the idea of sacrifice the Mayan believed the use of blood in sacrifice was the method of serving the gods. The higher up in class you were the more you had to show you devotion by sacrificing your blood. Bloodletting was a common practice among the Mayans. There are many artifacts showing the depiction of self-mutilation onto pieces of paper in bowls that were burned as offerings to the gods. There were also times in Mayan belief where a human sacrifice was necessary to appease the gods and maintain the balance between man and the deities. The victims who were mostly captives and slaves were used for this type of sacrifice. While alive the priests held them down and their hearts were ripped out and cooked as an offering. No one really knows why the Mayan civilization declined. It remains for the most part speculation. Mayan history points to the fact of famine, drought, break down in trade and political fragmentation including wars all led to the decline of the Mayan Empire. The final straw that killed the Mayan Empire was the Spanish conquistador. They systematically set out to destroy all aspects of Mayan culture through the enforcing of colonialism.
Mayan Civilization Ancient Maya History
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