The MayansThe Great Spiritual Society

The Mayan Landscape

The Mayan Landscape

Emerged between 300 BC and 250 AD

Their advancement in writing, astronomy and architecture was well developed by 600AD

The Mayan Society A group of smaller

territories

Each territory was ruled by one city and one supreme leader

Supreme Leader had a council

Warfare territories was common

The Mayan Society

At centre of cities were plazas and large pyramids or temples

these are ruins we see today

Used for ceremony and events

Mayan Cities: Copan (Honduras)

Mayan Cities: Chichen Itza (Mexico)

Mayan Cities: Palenque (Mexico)

Mayan Cities: Tulum (Mexico)

Mayan Cities: Tikal (Guatemala)

Mayan Hierarchy

1. Supreme Leader

2. Noble and Religious Leaders

3. Farmers, Artisans and Vendors

4. Slaves

Mayan Technology

Mayans did not have metal tools, only wood and stone (sometimes bone)

Writing was done in books made from fig tree bark, as well as, pottery

Mayan Religion They were polytheists

(many gods)

God of Sun was most important

Priests did fortune telling and carried out sacrifices

Prisoners used for sacrifice

Sometimes forced to play a ball game, then sacrificed.

The Mayan Calendar (The Long Count)

The Mayan Downfall

Civilization started to decline in 900AD

Forest cities were abandoned but difficult to determine why

Perhaps battle, drought, flooding

The Mayan Downfall North and South territories

were first to collapse, central stayed strong

In 1520, conquistadors began overcoming territories and destroyed the remaining cities

Burned Mayan books and pottery making Mayan history less easy to understand

The MayansThe Great Spiritual Society