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MAYA CIVILIZATION

MAYA CIVILIZATION. MAYA TIMELINE. Olmec 1200-1000 BCE Early Preclassic Maya 1800-900 BCE Middle Preclassic Maya 900-300 BCE Late Preclassic Maya 300 BCE - CE 250 Early Classic Maya 250-600 CE Late Classic Maya 600-900 CE Post Classic Maya 900-1500 CE

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MAYA CIVILIZATION

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  1. MAYA CIVILIZATION

  2. MAYA TIMELINE Olmec 1200-1000 BCE Early Preclassic Maya 1800-900 BCE Middle Preclassic Maya 900-300 BCE Late Preclassic Maya 300 BCE - CE 250 Early Classic Maya 250-600 CE Late Classic Maya 600-900 CE Post Classic Maya 900-1500 CE Colonial period 1500-1800 CE Independent Mexico 1821 to the present

  3. MAYA GEOGRAPHY • Lowlands • West borders Pacific Ocean, fertile plain • Yucatan Peninsula • Cenotes (excavated caverns) for water in east • Highlands • granite and volcanic area of Sierra Madre (Mexican Chiapas, Guatemala, Honduras) • Rich land, abundant water • Concentrated settlement

  4. MAYA HISTORY • Did not record history or daily lives, so much of what we know comes from archaeology and European (colonial) records • Many holes in our knowledge, and educated guesses

  5. MAYA HISTORY • Never recognized themselves as one people • Related dialects – similar language • City-states (Palenque, Copan, Chichen Itza) • No king or emperor but nobility • City-states tried to dominate each other (sound familiar?)

  6. MAYA HISTORY • Olmec lived in tropical lowlands of south-central Mexico • Provided basis for Mesoamerican civilizations • Bloodletting, glyphs similar to Maya • Distinctive art (colossal heads)

  7. MAYA ART • Stelae – carved stone monuments • Rulers in elaborate costumes • Often with texts that described lineage and accomplishments • Headdress, ceremonial bar

  8. MAYA ART • Pacal death mask • Love of jade • Pottery popular

  9. MAYA ARCHITECTURE • Houses of poles and thatch (cool) • Tikal (left) and Palenque (right)

  10. MAYA SOCIETY • class society • Caste (membership hereditary and movement rare) • Little known about women, but evidence of city-state queens

  11. MAYA CULTURE • Corn (maize), beans, squash, chilies for flavour, domesticated turkey • Loved dance, music • pok-a-tuk (pok-a-tok) Maya ball game • Losers (including coach) sacrificed http://www.ballgame.org/main.asp

  12. MAYA CULTURE • Pierced ears, tattoos, body painting, straight black hair, • Large headdress for importance (Pacal, leader of Palenque, to right)

  13. MAYA TRADE AND ECONOMY • Salt valued from Yucatan coast (preserve food, medicine, religious ceremonies) from north • granite from low mountains of Belize • Jade, volcanic glass, and obsidian from Chiapas highlands of western Guatemala • Tikal and Copan ‘middlemen’ cities in trade • cacao

  14. MAYA ECONOMY/TRADE • Quetzal feathers for nobility headdress • Extensive trade over 1000 miles • Porters carry goods (no beasts of burden)

  15. MAYA TEHNOLOGY/INNOVATION • Calendar 260 days • Also tracked solar 365 calendar

  16. MAYA TECHNOLOGY/INNOVATION • Math based on multiples of 20 • 0, 1, 2 • 5, 6 • 10, 11 • 15, 16

  17. MAYA WRITING • Writing 800 glyphs (picture/symbol represents an object, idea, or sound • Read left to right and top to bottom • Only elite could read as writing considered to be gift from the gods • Wrote many books (destroyed by Spanish)

  18. MAYA RELIGION • Driving force behind every aspect of life • Public temples and household shrines • Organized religion • Established schedule for agriculture • Polytheistic and revolved around nature (eg. Chac – Rain God)

  19. MAYA RELIGION • Priestly blood sacrifice • Human sacrifice later in Post classic Period (Mexican influence) • Religious festival every 20 days • World 3 layers – Heavens, Earth, Under(Other)world • Priest dressed as jaguars , scary masks to scare demons of Underworld • Belief in afterlife

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