Preview

What Is The Mayan Civilization

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
932 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
What Is The Mayan Civilization
Maya Civilization Many people do not know who the ancient Mayan people were or how they influenced the Aztec and a countless quantity of empires. “The ancient Mayan were indigenous people of Mexico and Central America who have continuously inhabited the lands comprising modern-day Yucatán, Quintana Roo, Campeche, Tabasco, and Chiapas in Mexico and southward through Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador and Honduras” (“Mayan Civilization”). Not only were the Maya individuals extremely smart but they were well known for their art, architecture, writing, mathematics, calendar and astronomy. The Maya civilization went through many time periods in which the Mayan people were able to utilize their mathematic skills to determine the solar eclipes, and …show more content…
“The name `El Tajin’ refers to the great city complex on the Gulf of Mexico which has been recognized as one of the most important sites in Mesoamerica” (“Mayan Civilization”). During this time the number of Maya people from a small group turned into millions of people. The ball game that was played by the Mayan civilization was created during the Classical Period were they called the ball game Poc-a-Toc. This game was very popular and there were courts made in and around the city of El Tajin. (“Mayan Civilization”). El Tajin is still unknown; as well as the fifty different indigenous groups that lived …show more content…
Not only did the Mayan society created the calendar, they were working on two different calendars. One named “the Haab, or civil calendar of 365 days in an 18 month period of 20 days each, and another named the Tzolkin, or sacred calendar, of 260 days divided into three groups of months of 20 days” (“Mayan Civilization”). Both the Haab and Tzolkin calendar were used together to create the round calendar that would not go farther in the future than 52 days. When the Maya created longer calculations it was known as the Long Count Calendar which gained tons of attraction throughout the world. Many people wanting to know how the Maya civilization was able to accomplish such a task and perfect it. “When the calendars were developed is unknown, but some aspects of it were probably already in use during the Early Preclassic Period, given that the so-called solar observations were constructed by the Maya at Nakbe during this time period and that day names were carved into stone in Oaxaca by c. 500 BCE” (Fosters 250). The Mayan calendars were designed in the likeness of specific gods and gave a sense of hope that the month would continue

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    The civilization “reached intellectual and artistic heights which no other in the New World, and few in Europe, could match at the time,” Coe writes. “Large populations, a flourishing economy, and widespread trade were typical of the Classic …” In this classic period the mayans started to build pyramids for religion reasons. The Mayans believed in many gods and in After life the Mayan view of the afterlife is journey of the soul in the underworld which was full of sinister gods which they are represented by jaguars,majority of the mayans including rulers went to the underworld heaven was reserved for people who had been sacrificed or died in childbirth. The Mayans have a calendar that shows the 365 days based on the Sun's movement. The mayans worshipped more than 165 gods.The gods were human like they grew up and died. Mayan gods represented form of nature, for example, Sun God, Kinih Ahous, or Maize God, Yum Kaax. The devolpment of the mayan religion is very interesting.The collapse of the mayans was by the spanish they conquered them and forced them to convert to Christianity and burning ancient books.But there are still many mayans in now a days but very little in number. Mayans had…

    • 1044 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Mayan cultural and technological contributions built on contributions from the Olmec, including the calendar, writing systems, and mathematics. The Mayan calendar tracked the ritual cycle and the solar calendar. Mathematical developments included the concept of zero and place value. The writing system was a form of hieroglyphic inscription, and Mayans used tree bark and deer skin for paper.…

    • 542 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Dbq 12

    • 420 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Mayan civilization was the source of two great accomplishments. One of these accomplishments was the Mayan pyramid temple in Tikal. This pyramid was the tallest structure in America until the twentieth century, exceeding 200 feet in height. The Mayan calender was also an accomplishment made in this time. The calendar was developed in 3372 B.C. The calendar shows that the Mayans were civilized enough to have their own system of writing. Through writing they were able to write down and document important historical events by carving them into stelae, or stone monuments. They also inscribed their religious beliefs and mythology on pottery. These accomplishments show that the Mayans were very advanced in architecture and literature. (Docs. 1 & 2 + outside knowledge)…

    • 420 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Mayans developed a complex calendar with hieroglyphics as depicted in Document Two. These glyphs were based on their writing system. Glyphs were symbols that showed events from the Mayan period. These glyphs often represented religious figures and historical events from the Mayan period (O.I). The Mayan’s calendar was the most accurate calendar of the known time because of the knowledge, and skill the Mayans possessed in astronomy (O.I). By using astronomy, the Mayans could calculate that there are three- hundred sixty-five and a quarter days in a year (O.I). Since the glyphs were on the most accurate calendar of the time the glyphs are known to be accurate.…

    • 786 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Toltec was another early civilization that helped influence Mexico’s cultural history. Many people predicted that the Toltec came to be around the 10th century. The Toltec built the city of Tula, which was the population of around 40,000. Many believed that the Toltec offered human sacrifices to make the gods happy(history). Like the other early civilizations, there is not much written records of the Toltec…

    • 556 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    This included the countries of Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, and southern Mexico. They were the greatest civilization in Central America before the Spanish Conquest. Mayans were known for a bunch of things. They had a system of writing and calendars. The calendar tracked lots of things for the Maya. It’s possible that their calendars could have been a product of religion since the rituals and ceremonies they held had to do with the celestial cycles. The shaman of the tribe thought he could tell when bad things were going to happen through these cycles and they would hold…

    • 1026 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Phys.

    • 561 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Mayans had an articulate and scientific lifestyle. They understood and studied astronomy, math, and art. They displayed some of their art in the form of pyramids. The Mayans also created a sophisticated calendar, which played into their religion, as well. Maya religious practice emphasized performing rituals at specific times, which served as an impetus for further refinements of the calendar1. They had an educated language, as well as written methods of communicating it; as noted in their Book of Council, or Popul Vuh. They Mayans worshipped their supreme being Kukulcan and held the belief of the offering of blood. Before their civilization crumbled, they were a society that had cities ruled by a sovereign ruler. Though their civilization did fall, it stood and lasted almost a thousand years, much longer than that of the Aztecs or the Incas2.…

    • 561 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Astronomy was one of the greatest achievements of the Mayan Empire. The Mayan Empire knew how many days were in a year and showed that they knew fall spring equinox. They demonstrated their knowledge of astronomy on their Pyramid of Kukulkan which they built their city around. The Mayan had 365 steps leading up the pyramid of Kukulkan one for each day of the year. They also demonstrated their knowledge of astronomy through the autumn and spring equinox. Every spring and fall equinox a snake shadow…

    • 316 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    After the decline of the Incas, the Olmec came into power. Once the Olmecs lost power a very prosperous group by the name of the Mayas came into power. The Mayas made many important accomplishments. Other than building 80 great cities, the Maya created a calendar, very similar to the one we use today. This 365-day solar calendar was very practical. It was used for electing new leaders, such as we do, and also used to figure out the best time to plant crops, such as we use seasons.…

    • 319 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Mayans were polytheistic, which means that they believe in multiple gods. They believed that humans were made of corn. Their number system was very different to the one we have now. Their numbers were lines and dots, for instance, five is . , so it may be confusing for us.…

    • 203 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Mayan Calendar

    • 917 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Mayan Calendar, which originated from ancient Maya (now Mexico and Central America) helped create the building blocks for many of the calendars used around…

    • 917 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    According to 'Empire of Illusion', Chris Hedges states, “The most essential skill in political theater and a consumer culture is artifice” (prompt). Artifice, in other words, deception, which is used by several individuals in their daily lives. Artifice is a characteristic that politicians thrive off of day in and day out. Politicians look to have a story that causes them to connect with citizens. Most of the time these stories are not exactly true, but do help the politician receive an abundance of votes. Politicians are not the only ones that thrive off of artifice, several other individuals such as popular actors, professional athletes, and other famous individuals. People love a story that is consistent and emotionally appealing,…

    • 794 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Mayans were one of the most well-known cultures in Mexico, originating in second century A.D. and back up again in the fifteenth century. The Mayan culture was divided into two great periods, the Classic Mayans (2nd century A.D.-10th century A.D.) and the Postclassic Mayans (9th century-15th century). The Classic Mayans occupied vast region of Southern Yucatán from Isthmus to Honduras. They believed in cyclical nature of life, which means, 1“…nothing was ever ‘born’ and nothing ever ‘died’- and this belief inspired their view of the gods and the cosmos. Their cosmological views, in turn, encouraged their imaginative efforts in architecture, mathematics and astronomy.”…

    • 779 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Maya was thought of to be one among the best ancient Native American civilizations within the Americas, and probably the planet. Archaeologists discovered and dug up and studied several of the civilization sites trace the Mayas to thousands of years ago. Their ancestors migrated from Asia across the Bering Sea and Alaska to the Americas and also the Yucatan Peninsula throughout the last ice age. Early Mayan settlements originate to 2400 B.C.. They engineered huge stone pyramids and temples to honor their gods and preserve their faith. They additionally accomplished advanced achievements in arithmetic and astronomy, that were recorded in hieroglyphs. Their lives rotated around their king and sacrificial blood. Their cultural achievements…

    • 706 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    What Was The Mayan Empire

    • 461 Words
    • 2 Pages

    An important creation that sparked and made trade easier was the Mayan road systems also known as the scabeob, they properly connected all the Mayan cities making easier to travel throughout the empire. The Mayan government for each city was controlled under the power of the king and had a stable legal system that determined punishments for crimes. The Mayans had one greatest accomplishments with creating an almost accurate calendar of 360 days per year. With the calendar they determined rituals and days to honor the gods, they were also able to track planets. The strengths on the Mayan Empire was the stone used to create weapons, farming tools, buildings, and roads.…

    • 461 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays