CHAPTER
THREE -
The same
region of Central America/
Mesoamerica which gave birth to the civilizations of the Mexican valley,
was home to another remarkable civilization which enjoyed its peak period of
development between 300 - 900 CE. Influenced by the Olmec culture
in areas of religion and art, the Mayan kingdoms flourished during these
centuries, sustained by agriculture in regions of what are today the countries
of Guatemala
and Honduras, as well as the Chiapas region of
The Maya reflected a common
American pattern in that religion was at the center of their
culture. Religion was the basis for all the impressive achievements
of the Mayan culture, their artistic creativity and notable advances in
writing, history, math, science and astronomy. If one were to measure the
"success" of a civilization based on scientific and intellectual
innovation, the Maya were arguably the most advanced society in pre-Columbian
RELIGION
Like all American peoples,
the Maya were polytheistic; a priority in their culture was to maintain a close
connection with the natural world. They worshiped the animals around them such
as the jaguar, snake and the bat. To maintain connections to these deities as
well as powerful nature gods such as the sun and rain, Mayan cities were
structured around central religious structures including temples
and the famous ball
courts which had religious significance. Great cities such as Tikal and
A critical feature of Mayan
religion was its relationship to the development and use of writing. In
the world view of the Maya, humans had a very important religious role in the
universe. Humans were to be the record keepers of the passage of time in
the natural world; humans had the responsibility to count the days and record
the events taking place around them in nature and in the heavens. In fact
to the present day, Mayan shaman entrusted with this
task are called "day keepers." According to Mayan
understanding, humans kept the natural balance though ritual, sacrifice
(including human sacrifice) and through elaborate methods of chronicling time.
If this memory was not maintained by humans, they believed, then the universe
would be thrown out of balance, particularly the natural world.
Not surprisingly, this
religious perception of the important role to be filled by humans resulted in intensive
efforts in the areas of observing and recording the movements of the
natural world. To aid in their duty to record, the Maya developed a written language
(which many believe was influenced by Olmec writing) and devoted a great deal
of intellectual energy to written works.
It frustrated
historians for centuries that the ability to read this writing was lost; in
fact it has only been in the last 10 years that scholars have been able to decipher this
writing. Now that we can read the writing, we have developed a greater
understanding of the history of natural events and the political
experiences of the Maya. However, even though we can now decipher the
writing, it is clear that a great deal of Mayan writing was lost as a result of
European colonization. Of the great books the Maya produced, only one, the Popul
Vuh, has survived. Most of the written work that we still can draw on
is in the form of laborious stone carvings that chronicle time and events. (see discussion of Mayan writing)
One area of astounding achievement
resulting from religious focus on record keeping was the Mayan calendar.
Creating an elaborate calendar record that chronicled the movements of the sun,
the moon and many planets, the Maya were able to create a tool that fulfilled
their religious duties and was useful for agriculture. This calendar
projected centuries into the future and was founded on the perception of cycles
of creativity and destruction; these cycles took place in increments of
hundreds of years. The Mayan
calendar was extremely complicated and very accurate, especially
considering their lack of astronomical technology. This calendar was more
accurate than anything produced in
In addition to a writing
system, development of complicated
mathematics was critical to the success of an accurate calendar and
projection into the future. The Maya were unquestionably the greatest
mathematicians of the
The Maya also used the tool
of writing and record-keeping for human events. The Maya kept dynastic
calendars of rulers and events taking place in their society on a daily basis! Stelas, elaborate burial
monuments, were engraved with the depictions of history and chronology of the
deceased. Now that we can read these inscriptions, they provide an invaluable
resource for historians.
COLLAPSE
The Maya people shared a
culture and written language. They also carried out extensive trade with each
other and others throughout Central American and the Mexican valley. However,
the Maya did not share a common political authority. Unlike the Aztecs
or Inca, the Maya did not consolidate under an empire or centralized
state. Instead, the Maya lived in autonomous
city states. These cities were ruled by kings (usually based on military
power) and a powerful priestly elite. The powerful tool of writing was used to
sustain and record the rule of these leaders. It is estimated that the
total population of these Mayan centers might have been as high as 14 million
people at the peak of the classical Mayan period in the 9th century
CE. However, despite the success represented by high population and cultural
and scientific achievements, this civilization also suffered fairly rapid collapse.
In fact, the most glaring
question related to the Maya is ---- what happened to this brilliant and
sophisticated civilization? By the end of the 800's (9th century),
the cities were declining and were ultimately deserted. The Mayan civilization
collapsed by 900 CE. This does not mean the people in that region disappeared;
it means the cohesion created by Mayan city states was lost. Also lost
were the achievements of this culture.
This downfall cannot be
laid at the doorstep of Europeans. The end of the classical Mayan cities
occurred centuries before outside contact. The likely contributing factors were
natural problems such as overuse of the land and consequent erosion,
overpopulation (which would magnify misuse and destruction of the land),
internal revolt, and the destructive effects of inter-city warfare. It appears
that the Mayan city-states experienced the problems that we have seen with
every fragmented civilization - inter-city competition and warfare, as well as
destruction of the environment that sustained their cities.
There is still no
definitive answer to the question of what happened to this culture. The Mayan
collapse remains as great a mystery as the collapse of the
After the collapse of the
Mayan center, the focus of Central American civilization shifted back to the
Mexican valley and the rise of the Toltecs and Aztecs. At the same time these
different cultures were emerging in Mesoamerica, there were equally impressive
developments further south in the
Interesting Related Web Sites
Ancient MesoAmerican
Civilizations
MesoWeb
Mayan Sites
Mayan Photo Archive
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