What Were The Beliefs Of The Mayans
The Ancient Mayan Civilization, located in today’s Mexican states of Chiapas and Tabasco, the Yucatan Peninsula, Guatemala, Belize, and portions of Honduras and El Salvador (Coe 1966:17), was built upon a rigid caste social structure based on their religious beliefs. The Civilization founded in the Pre-Classic Period c. 2000 BC, reached its ‘golden age’ in the Classical Period c. AD 250-900; and ultimately collapsed after severe drought c. 1200 AD. Independent Maya civilization continued until 1697 when the Spanish conquered, the last independent city-state. Known for excelling in agriculture, mathematics, architecture, writing, pottery, and calendar-making, the Maya were deeply religious. Their religious devotion would seep into all aspects
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of their lives. Ritual human sacrifice was one component to their religion that would fascinate people the world over.
Maya Social Structure was divided into the categories: King, nobility, priests, merchants, artisans, peasants and slaves. The government was decentralized, and the Kings had the most authority. Alongside the King, nobility would assist in running each city state. The Priests had the additional responsibilities of maintaining the temples, record keeping, preforming astronomical observation, and religious functions, such as sacrifice. Merchants, artisans, peasants and slaves provided goods and services for the people, and were not in leadership roles. Priests place towards the top of the Social Pyramid suggests the importance religion held in Mayan society.
The devotion to religion the Mayans displayed came from their belief that the gods would punish or reward them based on the honor they received.
If they were not sufficiently appeased then drought or disaster could be brought upon them. It was believed that sacrifice was a major component in satiating the gods, and the Maya went through great lengths to ensure that they were doing all they could to stay on the gods good sides. Sacrifice was a theme interwoven throughout the everyday lives with the Mayan peoples. Daily bloodletting was practices by many. Through the priests, the Mayans possessed great knowledge of astronomy, which allowed them to create an accurate calendrical system. As part of their calendar they had fixed days to hold festivals and rituals to celebrate the 166 deities. Part of the rituals was bloodletting, burning fires, the use or offering, and sacrifices of animals. Human sacrifice was not a part of such …show more content…
festivals.
The practice of human sacrifice can be linked back to the Olmecs, who had started preforming the ritual 3,000 years ago. Human sacrifice was an unscheduled ritual that the priests planned. Causes for human sacrifice range from "pestilences, dissensions, or droughts or the like ills". (de Anda Alanís). There were various methods priests used for human sacrifice; such as shooting arrows through the heart, removal of the heart using a ceremonial knife, beating, being pushed off of temples, or drowning (de Anda Alanís). The heart was then presented to the temples along with the blood. Slaves were often purchased for such rituals, but Maya art depicts a number of prisoners of war being used as well.
According to the Popol Vuh, a book of epic Mayan narratives, the Maya participated in a ballgame that also, at times, used human sacrifice as a means to reenact the myth of Hero Twins conquering the Lords of the Underworld in a ritualized ballgame.
Only men were permitted to play. The field where the played was considered to be a vestibule to the Underworld and was therefore sacred. The ball had to be I constant motion, which represented the cosmos movement. At the end of the game the losers would be sacrificed. Their belief in an afterlife bolstered the popularity in the ballgame. Some Mayan ball courts uncovered would have been too small for legitimate play and have been suggested to have been solely constructed for the purpose of ritual sacrifice. The ballgame and the myths behind it was a significant part of Mayan culture and helped connect a complicated
society.
The Mayans employed a hieroglyphic writing system, to keep records of the history and practices of their peoples (Schele and Miller 1986:15). Records of human sacrifice as well as pictorial depictions have been verified.
of their lives. Ritual human sacrifice was one component to their religion that would fascinate people the world over.
Maya Social Structure was divided into the categories: King, nobility, priests, merchants, artisans, peasants and slaves. The government was decentralized, and the Kings had the most authority. Alongside the King, nobility would assist in running each city state. The Priests had the additional responsibilities of maintaining the temples, record keeping, preforming astronomical observation, and religious functions, such as sacrifice. Merchants, artisans, peasants and slaves provided goods and services for the people, and were not in leadership roles. Priests place towards the top of the Social Pyramid suggests the importance religion held in Mayan society.
The devotion to religion the Mayans displayed came from their belief that the gods would punish or reward them based on the honor they received.
If they were not sufficiently appeased then drought or disaster could be brought upon them. It was believed that sacrifice was a major component in satiating the gods, and the Maya went through great lengths to ensure that they were doing all they could to stay on the gods good sides. Sacrifice was a theme interwoven throughout the everyday lives with the Mayan peoples. Daily bloodletting was practices by many. Through the priests, the Mayans possessed great knowledge of astronomy, which allowed them to create an accurate calendrical system. As part of their calendar they had fixed days to hold festivals and rituals to celebrate the 166 deities. Part of the rituals was bloodletting, burning fires, the use or offering, and sacrifices of animals. Human sacrifice was not a part of such …show more content…
festivals.
The practice of human sacrifice can be linked back to the Olmecs, who had started preforming the ritual 3,000 years ago. Human sacrifice was an unscheduled ritual that the priests planned. Causes for human sacrifice range from "pestilences, dissensions, or droughts or the like ills". (de Anda Alanís). There were various methods priests used for human sacrifice; such as shooting arrows through the heart, removal of the heart using a ceremonial knife, beating, being pushed off of temples, or drowning (de Anda Alanís). The heart was then presented to the temples along with the blood. Slaves were often purchased for such rituals, but Maya art depicts a number of prisoners of war being used as well.
According to the Popol Vuh, a book of epic Mayan narratives, the Maya participated in a ballgame that also, at times, used human sacrifice as a means to reenact the myth of Hero Twins conquering the Lords of the Underworld in a ritualized ballgame.
Only men were permitted to play. The field where the played was considered to be a vestibule to the Underworld and was therefore sacred. The ball had to be I constant motion, which represented the cosmos movement. At the end of the game the losers would be sacrificed. Their belief in an afterlife bolstered the popularity in the ballgame. Some Mayan ball courts uncovered would have been too small for legitimate play and have been suggested to have been solely constructed for the purpose of ritual sacrifice. The ballgame and the myths behind it was a significant part of Mayan culture and helped connect a complicated
society.
The Mayans employed a hieroglyphic writing system, to keep records of the history and practices of their peoples (Schele and Miller 1986:15). Records of human sacrifice as well as pictorial depictions have been verified.