Mayan



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=__Religion__= **The Mayans practiced blood-letting and sacrifice. The blood-letting was not of their prisoners or criminals but of themselves. They thought that the gods needed their servant's blood and the Mayans believed that it was an honour to give blood to their gods. Other practices done by the Mayans were astronomy, divination, human sacrifice, elaborate burial for royalty and worship in stone pyramids-temples. The type of gods that the Mayans worshiped were natural gods, meaning they were gods of rain, sun, earth and other things. The most worshiped gods were the gods of rain, sun, earth and corn. Those gods were Itzamná, Quetzalcóatl, Bolon Tzacab and Chac.** **The Mayans were Polytheistic which means they worshiped many gods. They had many gods from corn to darkness. All of their gods were nature except the evil gods.**


 * The Mayan's religion and government were combined because there was a preist for every city-state or town and then there was the head preist who was in charge of all. Even though there was a king of the Mayans, the preists could over through him. The king was mostly in charge of war. The preists were head worshipers and honchos. The preists were beleived to be agents between the gods and the people, thought to be demi-gods them sleves.

The Mayans believed a lot when it came to the after life. They thought after you died you went on a dangerous voyage of the soul through the underworld. The underworld was home to sinister gods, represented by the jaguar, the symbol of night. Most Mayans icluding rulers went to the underworld. Heaven was only for those who were sacrificed or died in childbirth.

Chaac was the rain god. With Chaac's lightning axe he would strike the clouds to produce thunder and rain for the Mayans. There were 4 Chaacs one for the North and the South and one for the East and the West. To make one of the Chaacs to make it rain the Mayans had to to a traditional rain dance. This included 4 boys acting like frogs, while young men and women were lowered into wells and left there to drown. The young men and women enetered the rain relm and they open up the doors in the sky to let it rain.(Chaac below) Quetzalcoatl was a god that was created at the begining of time. He was the ruler of the mythico-historico city of Tollan. In art he was described as a feathered-serpent. Quetzalcoatl is the god of wind, Venus, dawn, merchants, arts and crafts and knowledge. **


 * Itzamna was the supreme god, ruler of the heavens and of day and night. In Mayan art he was shown as a pleasent, toothless old man with a very large nose. Itzamna was the son of Hunab Ku, the creator god. Itzamna taught the Mayans to grow corn, write, use calenders and the practice of medicine. His wife was the moon goddess Ixchel.**
 * The Mayan's religion all started in 250 AD. When the spanish came to the Mayans territory, they forced them into believing in Roman Cathilicism but had many traditional elements of Mayan religion. The Mayan's religion still lives on though through books that were actually writen by ancient Mayans, like Dresden, Madrid, Paris Codices, Books of Chilam Balam, Popol Vuh and The Ritual of the Bacabs.**

=__Economy__=

**The role that trade played on the life of the Mayan people, was they were able to trade with other cities and within their own city. By doing this, they were able to get things from other cities that their own could not produce. Trade lead to contact with other civilizations and access to different technology.**
 * The major trading goods for the Mayans were salt, cloth, honey, fruit, domestic animals (cows, pigs, goats and chickens, unknown to the Mayans)(turkeys, guniea pigs, ducks and dogs known to Mayans), bees used for honey, forself and trade, beans, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, chili pepper, avacadoes, squash, tomatoes, corn(largest)(Maize to Mayans)depended heavily on by Mayans, Breadfruit planted in case corn crop failed, Cacao and cotton were used to trade.**

**Their geography location affected their ability to trade because it took awhile to get to another civilization outside of the Mayans own people. Were seperated by the Atlantic Ocean from Europe.**

**Economy for the Mayans was based on a system of social classes. The lowest of classes were the Farmers and rlaves but they did all the hard labour. The Highest classes did nothing. The Middle class though traded goods of clothes, baskets and tools.

The Mayan's farmers were probably a bigger part then anyother part like the middle or highest because the farmers got them food. To make a corn field the mayan farmers used a technique called Slash and Burn. First off the Mayans choose a jungle area, then they burn as amny trees as possible. The dead trees were good fertalizer for the crop. Then they planted the crop. To hunt the mayans used blowpipes, bow'n'arrows and knives. They hunted deer, birds and wild boar but they also caught fish. **

=__Technology__=

**The Mayans, having no contact with Asia or Europe, were still able to made an accurate calendar, a form of writing, musical instruments, sports, huge water systems and a type of math. The Mayans had a very simple numerical system. The Mayans used a small number of three lines. Mayan numbers were dots representing ones, and lines representing fives and strange circles representing 20 that looked somewhat like and zero.

Mayans had a very accurate calendar that has predicted many natural disasters and the arrival of the Spaniards. This calendar is supposed to predict the end of the world in December 12 2012. This calendar has even been put into a movie called 2012. The Mayan calendar was built August 11, 3114 BC.

The Mayans had a vary large irrigation systems that helped them Bred Guinea pigs to eat along with dogs, turkeys, and ducks. If you can believe it or not the Mayans had no ledge of a wheel and had to use basalt axes to defend them self’s. The Mayans used a plumb bob they see how accurate they were when measuring.**


 * Mayan homes were not that complex they were made of mud or stone walls the walls were covered with wooden poles and the roof was made of hay. On the other hand Mayan temples were made of lime stone pulled from the quarries and left to dry in the sun and sine they had no ledge of wheels or pulleys this was very had. They also were able to build roads by cutting down all the trees in the area and having many people walk along this path making it smooth and over time looking like a road.**

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=__Art And Architecture__=
 * The role that art played in the Mayan civilization was important. Art was important in religion in trading. The Mayan warriors dressed up in artistic decorative feathered suits that represented the warriors status. The Mayans would dance for the gods to show their love. music, dance, and drama was used as relaxation, and occurred in public ceremonies. Like the Egyptians, and Greeks, the Mayans used art to record history and tell stories.

The Mayans main form of art was pottery, rock carvings, and painting. Popular forms of these styles of art was displayed was on a stela (an upright stone pillar carrying a design, being used as a monument, marker). Wall murals were also created displaying the Mayans famous color turquoise. Art was displayed in or on any permanent surface like on their pyramids and temples. This art was made in the fresco style, and is the earliest type of painting. The Mayan architecture is most famously known for the temples where they sacrificed people to the gods. Mayan statues created, today are seen as part of the reminder of what a great civilization once lived there. ** **The architecture of the Mayans ranged from small mud huts, to huge stone temples. Most homes were made from wood, mud/stone, or lime. The Mayans though are best known for their artistic headdresses, and intricate calender. From the Mayans art we have learned they loved their gods by looking at their magnificent temples made in their honor. People had time on their hands to create art, meaning they did not have to stress over getting food because they had reliable farmers. We know that they had many resources to create their art, colors for paints, rock for carving, and birds of paradise for their headdresses.**

=__Social Classes and Slavery__= **The Mayan society was a complex network, and structured much the same as in China. In the highest class were** **ruling nobles, the wealthy and powerful, and the king. To be in the higher class the lower classes believed it was a blessing by the gods. The lower classes also believed that their nobles were descendants from gods. The most powerful man in the city-state was the** **Halch Unic. T****he** **Halch Unic** **was the most vital government and religious leader in Mayan culture.**


 * The middle class were the government workers, artists, and merchants, were a great deal more wealthy than the bottom class. The middle class people had more respect in the town, by farmers, slaves, and in the military.**


 * The bottom class were the f****armers and slaves, and even though a farmer had freedom they usually did not get rights better than slaves, even though they provided the one thing needed to allow a civilization to flourish...Food. Being the lower class the farmers and slaves were used as the builders for the mayan buildings.** Slaves were important to the Mayan culture, because instead of the people doing work all day it let people get smarter in other areas and allow the civilization to develop. Slaves were usually captured enemy soldiers or criminals.Slave preformed the hardest and most dangerous labor. Slaves also did trading and farming for their masters. **Slaves were important to the Mayan culture, because instead of the people doing work all day it let people get smarter in other areas and allow the civilization to develop. Slaves were usually captured enemy soldiers or criminals.Slave preformed the hardest and most dangerous labor. Slaves also did trading and building for their masters. Slaves were forced to build the Mayan cities. Farmers were also used. Slaves were forced to build the Mayan cities. Farmers were also used for the labour of building. The Mayans though used more slaves than farmers for labour.

Slavery was sometimes based on race. Slaves could be captured enemy soldiers. Mayan warriors in battles had a primary objective to capture slaves rather than killing enemy soldiers. These warriors were used as slaves and then sacrificed to the Mayan gods. Criminals within the city could be turned into slaves. As well, if you were an orphan and had no place to go you would be taken in by a family, as a slave, but you would have all your needs met. Slavery was possible to end. The Mayan practice though fully ended when the Mayans deserted their cities. **

=**__Geography__**=

**The Mayan civilization was** **located in Central America. The Mayan territory was roughly 311,000 square kilometers (120,000 square miles). It was divided up into three general areas: The tropical rain forest of the lowlands. The Guatemala highlands and the Pacific Coasts, and the northern** Yucatanan **(homeland of the first Maya) peninsula. The Mayan territory stretched to three different bodies of water: the Pacific ocean, the gulf of Mexico, and Atlantic oceans.**

**The Mayan settlements were in** **a diverse location that are now main cities and even have become self-governing** **countries like** **Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, and other regions of Mexico.**
 * The geographic setting of Mayan territory changed the way the people lived. The Mayans discovered that they could use the rivers for fishing, and for trading** **lanes to move goods at a much faster rate than by land.** **Most of the Mayan cities of the Classic period were built near rivers that supply water for human needs. Most of the Mayan domain was in the rain forest which produces a** **tremendous** **range of plants, sunlight, water, and warmth which made life easier, so the people could work on other things (art) instead of just trying to stay warm. Central America has many volcanoes which when erupted, ashes would make the soil more fertile. The lands varied from each other in temperature as the lowlands were humid because they were mostly condest jungles but the highlands were cooler because of their wide open mountain ranges with cold winds.**


 * The Mayans were geographically isolated from some civilizations at their time. Civilizations like Greece, Rome, Chinese, Indian, Egyptian, and Mesopotamian people were separated by the Atlantic ocean and at the time no one had the technology to cross it. But in South America there were Aztecs, Tapotec, Mixtec, Olmec, Toltec, and Teotihuacan populations. **


 * The Mayans were close to the Pacific ocean, Atlantic ocean, and the Gulf Of Mexico. The Maya were close to many rivers but there were no main rivers other than the present day Amazon Basin (and many rivers branching out), Araguaya, Riviera Maya and Francisco rivers. The main river for the Mayans was Lake Atitlan. There were cenotes; big`sink holes´ of fresh water which were a large and diverse. The Mayans had many mountains and volcanoes throughout their territory like the volcanoes San Pedro, Toliman and Cerro de Oro. They had mountains like Doyle's Delight, Maya Mountains and Cacahuatique. **

= = =__Time Period__=

**The Mayans started to emerge as civilization around 11,000BC. At that time they were only a group of hunters or gatherers that settled in the Maya high and lowlands. The Mayas were direct descendants of the nomadic people coming from Asia and parts of Europe to the Americas across frozen Bering Strait. A they cross they were followed by herds of migrating mammals.**

**The Mayans were at their peak of civilization at about 600AD in present day south of the south Mexico area. It took them about 2850 years to get to this peak. The Mayan's door to their peak was about to open as their greatest enemy the Teotihuacanán and their allies got destroyed by unknown reason. After the fall of the Teotihuacan the Mayan Empire became the most powerful Empire in Mesoamerica.**

**The Mayans existed for about 1300-1800 years. The reign of the civilization started in 11000 BC about the time of the stone age. And ended around 1541 AD around the time Jacques Cartier left St-Malo, France on his third voyage.**

**The fall of the Mayan civilization occurred** **over decades with no one quite sure what happened. The decline to the end was very long it was estimated at 640 years. Scholars believe that the environment played a role in the decline of this large civilization through drought, other theories include wars against the Spanish, 16 Mayan groups fight over each other, Spanish bring diseases unknown to Maya, smallpox, influenza and measles but it is possible that both took place. Although there is no official date to the final fall of Maya is is estimated at around 1541 but the Mayan started to decline in 900AD. From the attack of the Spanish 90% of Mayans population was killed off.**

=__Government__=


 * A dictatorship of a head priest and a whole lot of normal priests ran the show for the Mayans. Under the rule of the priests their was one king for each city-state in the Mayan empire. In the lower level of ruling large city-states were ruled by small surrounding towns, as the power of the city-state could span many times larger than the city itself.**


 * To the Mayans government was very important because it kept order and peace between the Mayan people. When ever there was any event or something like ceremonies, crowning, new priest and birth, the Priest was in charge of it. The King to the Mayans was called the Halch Uinic. The Halch Uinic was so important that he had a veil over his face because no one was important enough to talk to him face to face. The way the Mayan citizens were kept in line was usually death. So if you did a bad thing it usually meant death, sacrifice. The Priest were the law of the land.**


 * Some laws that the Mayans had were "Only Priests allowed in the Temples" and "Not allowed to deal with criminals(believed to be possessed with evil spirits)". If you disobeyed a law some punishments that you received were a hefty fine, having all your possessions auctioned, being sold into slavery possibly or getting thrown into a jail for long time. Guilty verdicts meant torture or death, in middle of the courtroom. In court only noble family members were allowed to judge disputes and these positions were inherited. Where all the law passing, courts, law and order were was the palace.**




 * Mayans had fair courts, and lawful trials. The Maya were some of the earliest people to gather evidence on a crime and would present it to a judge. Warrior prisoners or very bad citizens were usually imprisoned and shortly sacrificed to the gods by having their hearts torn out of their body.**

= =

=Rise And Fall=

**The rise was caused because the Olmec fell (reasons not known). People from Olmec moved away leaving behind a perfect land to start a new civilization. Became Mayan Empire over time. Theories to the fall of the Maya civilization give non-ecological or ecological explanations. Reasons could be: fight for power, spanish diseases (probable), Spanish conquered.**


 * The Mayans were slaughtered during the battles with Spaniards (<span style="font-family: times,sans-serif;">1517-1541 ), and then killed after the spaniards left because of brought in European diseases.**


 * The Mayan civilization had a golden age. The golden age took part during the post-classic period (10th to the early 16th century). The Mayans were at their peak at the time the Spaniards arrived.**


 * The Mayans could have stayed in power for longer if they were in a different climate because the main theory of its collapse is weather based.**

=__Bibliography__= = = = = geography = = http://bit.ly/18pvrM []

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[]  <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">http://bit.ly/coALbr http://bit.ly/aIgSXG <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">http://bit.ly/coALbr http://bit.ly/cvcTU3 http://bit.ly/9xCHWK http://bit.ly/9YC9nX http://bit.ly/coALbr http://bit.ly/cvcTU3 http://bit.ly/coALbr http://bit.ly/cvcTU3 [] **(Religion: [|http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http:/]****[|/designbymartha.com/seventh_]****grade/Maya%2520Map.gif&imgrefurl=http://designbymartha.com/se****venth_grade/Index%****2520701.html&usg=__hyx5B21ZxqleWkJFWWRsAjk3Lyw=&h=4__****85&w=745&sz=276&hl=****en&start=7&sig2=mylOrSu0jANwpigv-VColw&um=1&itbs=1&tbn****id=2ZeidvJ-9A18kM:&tbnh=****92&tbnw=141&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dmap%2Bof%2Bmayan%****2Bempire%26hl%3Den%26rls****%3Dcom.microsoft:en-ca:IE-SearchBox%26rlz%3D1I7ACAW_enCA366%26um%3D1&ei=8YJ9S_

Time Period**

http://www.crystalinks.com/mayanhistory.html


 * []

http://ancienthistory.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.mexconnect. com/mex%255F/history/classic.html

http://www.english.illinois.edu/MAPS/poets/a_f/bronk/timeline.jpg

http://www.classzone.com/net_explorations/U4/images/mt_timeline.gif// **

//-http://www.english.illinois.edu/MAPS/poets/a_f/bronk/timeline.jpg
 * <span style="font-family: times,sans-serif; font-size: medium;">-http://www.mexconnect.com/articles/3191-the-mayan-civilization-time-line

Government**

http://www.kidsnewsroom.org/elmer/infoCentral/frameset/civilizations/maya/gov/index.html
 * http://www.angelfire.com/mech/maya/law.html

Rise and fall

__ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_civilization#The_Maya_collapse

http://www.crystalinks.com/mayanhistory.html

Religeon__**

-http://racionalistas.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/quetzalcoatl.jpg -http://www.religionfacts.com/mayan_religion/index.htm -[]-[]**-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaac

Technology

[]- in-the-Mayan-and-Aztec-Empires-2600-BC-1500-AD.aspx [] [] [] [] [] [] []

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[|http://www.clairebeynon.co.nz/Questions_of_Balance/images/(5a)%20Q%20of%20B] ** [|CB%2009_Plumb%20bobs.jpg]

Art and architecture

**[]**
 * []** [] []/Three_Mayan_Warrior.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.garrisonpublishing.com/militaryuniforms.shtml&usg= 0yU0KYhu9_0Me9BGfRPXynVIIVg=&h=158&w=216&sz=8&hl=en&start=13&itbs=1&tbnid=DK8oFyEhgxOHiM:&tbnh`=78&tbnw=107&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dmayan%2Bwarrior%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:1 []

http://www.authenticmaya.com/images/Articulated%20Monkey%20probably%20from %20the%20Tiquisate%20Area.%20The%20arms%20and%20legs%20move..jpg @http://www.authenticmaya.com/maya_art.htm

@http://library.thinkquest.org/10098/mayan.htm @http://static.open.salon.com/files/maya_house1233345611.jpg <span style="font-family: verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">@http://benameless.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/p219888-chichen_itza-mayan_temple.jpg

Social classes/slavery

@http://project-history.blogspot.com/2005/10/mayan-social-classes.html

@http://www.wingsworldquest.org/?q=node/114


 * http://www.angelfire.com/mech/maya/social.html

http://library.thinkquest.org/5891/society.htm

http://images.clipartof.com/small/60055-Royalty-Free-RF-Clipart-Illustration-**
 * Of-Slaves-Sitting-Before-A-Mayan-King.jpg

http://images.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http:** //**i149.photobucket.com/albums/s49/Chicanindio/ Azteca/AztecsHumanSacrifice.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.fountainpennet work.com/forum/index.php%3Fshowtopic%3D57503%26view%3Dnew& usg=__HIAfcP33FX7O8Czr5EPCZD9lXB0=&h=525&w=365&sz=185&hl=en& start=11&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=XpG03_DXKh5M:&tbnh=132&tbnw=92&prev=/images__**
 * %3Fq%3Dmayan%2Bsacrifice%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%**
 * 26client%3Dsafari%26sa%3DG%26rls%3Den%26tbs%3Disch:1**

http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/CIVAMRCA/MAYAS.HTM

fuJo3WsAPl05jLCA)

=__Credits__=

Social Classes/Slavery: Isaac Halas

Economy: Jesse Rayson

Art and Architecture: Isaac Halas

Religion: Jesse Rayson

Technology: Tyler Mayers

Geography, Rise and Fall, Timeline, Government: Isaac Halas, Jesse Rayson, Tyler Mayers, Brett Asleson.