CHAPTER 7Olmecs and Mayas

LEGACY OF THE OLMECS

The earliest American civilization emerged in the tropical forests along the Mexican Gulf Coast

The Olmec civilization lasted from about 1400BC-500BC

Archaeologists know very little about the Olmecs

Rich tombs and temples suggest that a powerful class of priests and aristocrats stood at the top of Olmec society

The Olmecs did not build cities---instead they built ceremonial centers

OLMEC MAP

OLMECS

LEGACY OF THE OLMECS

The most dramatic remains of the Olmec civilization are the giant carved stone heads found in the ruins of a religious center at La Venta

No one knows how the Olmecs moved these colossal 40-ton stones from distant quarries without wheeled vehicles or draft animals

OLMEC STONE HEAD

LEGACY OF THE OLMECS

Through trade, Olmec influence spread over a wide area

The Olmecs invented a calendar and used carved inscriptions as a form of writing

Their most important legacy may be the tradition of priestly leadership and religious devotion that became a basic part of later Middle American civilizations

THE WORLD OF THE MAYAS

Between 300AD-900AD Mayan city-states flourished from the Yucatan in southern Mexico through much of Central America

Mayans used a unique method of farming in the tropical environment---they cleared land the dense rain forests and then built raised fields that caught and held rainwater

They also built channels to drain excess water

This complex system produced enough maize (native corn) and other crops to support rapidly growing cities

YUCATAN PENINSULA

YUCATAN PENINSULA AND MAYAN EMPIRE

MAYANS

MAIZE

TEMPLES AND PALACES

Towering pyramid temples dominated the largest Mayan city of Tikal, located in present-day Guatemala

Priests climbed steep temple stairs to perform sacrifices while the people watched from the plazas below

The Mayan pyramids remained the tallest structures in the world until 1903 when the Flatiron Building skyscraper was built in New York City

TIKAL

TIKAL

TEMPLES AND PALACES

Tikal also boasted large palaces and huge stone pillars covered with carvings

The carvings recorded event in Mayan history Much of the wealth of Tikal and other Mayan

cities came from trade Goods traded included: honey, cocoa, cotton

cloth, and feathers

CHICHEN ITZA

CHICHEN ITZA

TULUM

TULUM

TULUM

TULUM

TULUM

SOCIAL CLASSES

Each Mayan city has its own ruling chief Nobles served as military leaders and

officials who managed public works, collected taxes, and enforced laws

Rulers were usually men, however, Mayan records and carvings show that women occasionally governed on their own or in the name of young sons

Priests held great power because only they could conduct the elaborate ceremonies needed to ensure good harvests and success in war

SOCIAL CLASSES

Most Mayans were farmers They grew corn, beans, squash---the basic

food crops of Middle America---as well as fruit trees, cotton, and brilliant tropical flowers

Men grew the crops while women turned them into food

To support the cities, farmers paid taxes in food and helped build the temples

ADVANCES IN LEARNING

The Mayans developed a hieroglyphic writing system, which has only recently been deciphered

Mayan scribes kept their sacred knowledge in books made of bark (Spanish conquistadors later burned most of these books but a handful were taken to Europe and are in museums)

Many priests were expert mathematicians and astronomers and developed an accurate 365-day solar calendar

Mayan priests invented a numbering system and understood the concept of zero

DECLINE

About 900AD, the Mayans abandoned their cities, leaving their great stone palaces and temples to be swallowed up by the jungle (some of these were not “rediscovered” till modern times)

No one knows for sure why the Mayan civilization declined

Some causes may have been---frequent warfare, overpopulation and overfarming, and heavy taxes

Some remnants of the civilization survive today: millions of people in Guatemala and southern Mexico speak Mayan languages and are descendents from the original Mayans