The Maya

250 BC to 1190 AD

The Mayas We know they were not called Mayas When Spaniards arrived, the major city

was MAYAPAN (thus the name the Mayas)

The only great civilization to be located in the “jungle”

Primarily the Yucatan peninsula and northern central America

MAYAS

MAYA

KINGDOM

Astronomers Calculated Lunar and Solar Eclipses

– Used that information to have “Festivals” Understanding of the Solar Position in

the sky

Mathematicians Had a system based on 20 Recognized the zero (unlike the

Romans for instance) One two three four five six eight nine ten nineteen twenty

Architects Build Magnificent Temples and Places

for Commerce and Games

Mayan Economy A trade system existed through which salt,

obsidian, jade, cacao, animal pelts, tropical bird feathers, luxury ceramics and other goods flowed.

Goods from the highlands were traded with those of the lowlands. Obsidian was made into tools and weapons.

People either bartered goods directly or exchanged them for cacao beans

Commonly Bartered Items

Social Structure The Social

Pyramid– Priests– nobles wealthy– commoners and

low-level govern officers

– slaves and servants

Priest

GAME The Maya had a ball game

called Pok-A-Tok. It was played on an odd shaped field.

The object of the game was to move a hard rubber ball without the use of hands or feet through a hoop.

There is debate whether it was the losing team or the winning team that was sacrificed.

GAME

Decapitation scene at ball court,

GAME

Demise of the Mayas Natural

– Ecology Soil Exhaustion Water Loss and Erosion Savana Grass Competition (Continual burning

of soil led to end original forest and converted into man-made grass land. Problem, Mayas did not have toil equipment).

– Catastrophism Earthquakes Hurricanes

– Evolution Main idea was that social collapse occurred

due to over population and lack of food supply

– Disease brought by Spanish

Demise of the Mayas (continuation)

Demise of the Mayas (continuation)

Social– Demography

Higher rate of female to male ratios led to a collapse of social order

– Social Structure– Invasion