Ancient Mayan Culture

The Cities!

Classical Mayan civilisation is dated to between the years 200-900 AD. During this period as many as 40 great city states developed, with most ranging in population from 5,000 to 50,000 people. Some authorities suggest that Tikal may have had a population of up to 100,000 people by 800 AD. These urban centres were supported by rural outlying areas of farmers and smaller settlements. Most city states had their own kings but some may have been subject to the rule of more powerful neighbours. Evidence of some decline, for example the abandonment of cities in certain regions, seems to have begun around 800AD.

Find out:What other

cultures built

Pyramids?

Farms

and Food

!

In the lowland areas crops such as maize, cacao, beans, avocado, squash and chilli

were grown. Dogs were kept for meat and animals such

as turkeys, rabbits, deer and

agouti were hunted for food. Highland areas provided stones such as obsidian

and jade and ores such as hematite. Quetzal feathers

were highly prized for headdresses.

Clothing was made from woven cotton

or sisal.

Can you:eat a meal using one mayan ingredient?

Mayan cities are characterised by a range of monumental architecture

including temples, stepped pyramids, ball courts,

observatories and palace complexes. Large plazas, roads and reservoirs were

also built. These are decorated with sculptures and hieroglyphs detailing

aspects of warfare, dynastic succession and religious ritual. A high degree of

artistry was achieved and this is evident also in

pottery, wall paintings, jade carvings and feathered

headdresses.

About the Architecture!

Can you:Find and copy an example

of mayan carving?

The Calendar!

Find out:Why do some people say

this calendar looks like the large Hadron collider at

cern?

The Mayan calendar had three aspects: a civil calendar of 365 days; a religious calendar of 260 days and a long-count

calendar divided into cycles called baktuns. The civil and religious calendar worked together in 52 year cycles. The baktun was a cycle of 400 years. Mayan mathematics was also highly advanced and the use of zero meant that lengthy

and complex calculations could be accurately completed.

Mayan religion influenced most areas of life. Mayans

believed that life was a cycle and that people progressed through

various stages before reaching ‘the place of misty sky.’ Their gods were bloodthirsty and human sacrifice was

required to appease them. The King was believed to be a representative of the gods. The famous Mayan

ball game was also a religious ritual. Months were dedicated to gods

and their portraits adorned the faces of

buildings.

Religion!

Think:Why did the mayans carry

out human sacrifice?

Fashion!

Because Mayan clothing can communicate so much information about the wearer, each item of

clothing becomes quite important. Fashion trends, such as the cut of a man's

shirt or the length of a woman's skirt, can be specific to a particular

village, but the same basic elements make up the

Mayan clothing ensemble, regardless of the village,

state, or nation of the wearer. Men usually wear a

shirt, pants, a hat, and usually a sash or belt.

Throughout Mesoamerica, men carry bags made of wool or maguey fiber.

Women generally are seen wearing a huipil or blouse, a

corte or skirt, and a sash. They also carry a shawl that serves myriad functions. It can keep them warm on a cool morning or be used to carry a child on their back.

Some women use these shawls to carry their

produce to the market or their purchases home from a

day of shopping.

Find out:What do people in south

america wear today?

Homes!

The house was one rectangular room with rounded corners, no

windows, and one central door built to face east. Sometimes there was another door that led to a second hut, used as both a kitchen and a chicken coup. In the traditional

kitchens, women would cook on a grill set over three rocks. When the

hammocks were hung, the main, single-room house was converted

into a dormitory.

explain:Why are the religious

buildings larger and more lavish than the ordinary

people’s homes?

Now it’s your turn!

Create a time-traveller’s handbook explaining how to survive in the ancient Mayan

civilisation – what should they eat, what should they wear,

what weird customs should they expect to encounter

If you need help – have a look at some

of the Time Traveller’s Guide to the Middle Ages by

Ian Mortimer (excerpts can be obtained from Mr

Clarkson)