Contents 

1. Introduction
2. Early Mayans, 1800 B.C. to A.D. 250
3. Mayan Pyramids (250-900 AD) 
4. Calendar 
5. The Mayan Culture
6. End of Mayans
7. Source 

 

 

Introduction

About the sixth century A.D., the Mayan Empire, which was based in the tropical lowlands of what is now Guatemala, reached its zenith. The Maya produced some of the best pottery, agriculture, writing, calendars, and mathematics ever, and they also left behind an astounding amount of beautiful structures and symbolic artwork. Most of the major stone towns of the Maya were abandoned by A.D. 900, however, and since the 19th century, researchers have disputed what might have caused this precipitous decline.

One of Mesoamerica’s most powerful indigenous civilizations was the Maya (a term used to describe Central America and Mexico before the 16th-century Spanish conquest).

The Maya were concentrated in a single geographic region that included all of the Yucatan Peninsula, modern-day Guatemala, Belize, and portions of the Mexican states of Tabasco and Chiapas, as well as the western regions of Honduras and El Salvador, unlike other dispersed Indigenous populations of Mesoamerica. This concentration demonstrated that the Maya were able to resist attacks from other Mesoamerican peoples.

The northern Maya lowlands on the Yucatan Peninsula, the southern lowlands in the Peten district of northern Guatemala and surrounding portions of Mexico, Belize, and western Honduras, and the southern Maya highlands, in the mountainous region of southern Guatemala, were the three distinct sub-areas where the Maya lived within that expanse. Each had its own unique environment and culture.

The Maya of the southern lowland region is most well-known for having attained their pinnacle during the Classic Period of Maya civilisation (A.D. 250 to 900) when they constructed the magnificent stone towns and monuments that continue to captivate explorers and academics of the area.

Early Mayans, 1800 B.C. to A.D. 250

The Preclassic or Formative Period, sometimes known as the earliest Maya towns, began around 1800 B.C. Early Maya were farmers who produced crops such as corn (maize), beans, squash, and cassava (manioc). Maya farmers started to increase their presence in both the highland and lowland areas throughout the Middle Preclassic Period, which lasted until about 300 B.C.

The first significant Mesoamerican civilization, the Olmecs, also rose to prominence during this time period. The Maya, like other Mesoamerican peoples including the Zapotec, Totonac, Teotihuacán, and Aztecs, received a variety of religious and cultural characteristics from the Olmec, as well as their number system and well-known calendar.

In addition to agriculture, the Preclassic Maya also exhibited more sophisticated cultural elements, such as the construction of cities, pyramids, and stone monuments with inscriptions.

One of the greatest cities ever constructed in the pre-Columbian Americas was the Late Preclassic city of Mirador, located in northern Peten. Its size eclipsed that of the Maya metropolis of Tikal during the Classic Period, and the fact that it still stands as evidence of the Maya’s prosperity centuries before.

Mayan Pyramids (250-900 AD)

The Maya Empire was at its height during the Classic Period, which started around the year 250. A total of 40 cities, including Calakmul, Tikal,  Copán, Bonampak, Dos Pilas, Ro Bec, Palenque, and Uaxactn made up the classic Maya civilisation. These cities each had a population of between 5,000 and 50,000 people. At its peak, the Maya population may have reached 2,000,000 or as much as 10,000,000.

Several of the temples and palaces constructed by the Classic Maya had stepped pyramidal shapes, and they were ornamented with highly detailed reliefs and inscriptions. The Maya are known as the greatest artists of Mesoamerica thanks to these buildings.

Plazas, palaces, temples, pyramids, and courts for playing the well-known Maya ball game ulama have all been discovered during excavations of Maya sites. These structures are all ritually and politically vital to the Maya culture. Many farmers lived all around and provided sustenance for the Maya cities. Although the Maya engaged in a basic kind of agriculture, they also showed signs of more sophisticated farming techniques like irrigation systems. The Maya were extremely devout people who worshipped many different natural gods, such as the gods of the sun, moon, rain, and corn. The kings, or “kuhul ajaw” (holy lords), who claimed to be linked to gods and were elected by hereditary succession, were at the top of Maya society. They were considered to serve as intermediaries between the gods and humanity on earth and performed the elaborate religious ceremonies and rituals so crucial to the Maya society.

Calendar 

The use of the zero and the creation of intricate calendar systems like the Calendar Round, based on 365 days, and later the Long Count Calendar, intended to last more than 5,000 years, were among the many mathematical and astronomical innovations made by the Maya under the direction of their religious ritual. 

The Mayan Culture

Substantial exploration of Classic Maya sites began in the 1830s. A little section of their hieroglyphic writing system had been deciphered by the early to mid-20th century, and new information about their history and civilization had emerged. The majority of what is known about the Maya’s architecture and art—including the stone carvings and inscriptions on their structures and monuments—comes from what is still standing today.

Four of the Maya’s codices are known to have survived. The Maya also created paper from tree bark and wrote in these codices, which are books made of this paper. They are also credited with some of the first applications of rubber and chocolate.

The Mayans’ capacity to establish a flourishing civilisation in an environment of tropical rainforests was just one of their many fascinating traits. The centralised management of water resources (via irrigation and other methods) had historically allowed ancient peoples to thrive in drier climes. (The Teotihuacan of highland Mexico, who lived at the same time as the Classic Maya, experienced this.) In the southern Maya lowlands, however, there were few navigable rivers for trade and transit, as well as no evident need for an irrigation system.

Researchers came to the conclusion that the lowlands’ climate was actually quite environmentally diversified by the late 20th century. Despite the relative scarcity of silver and gold in the area, which disappointed European invaders, the Maya made use of the land’s abundant natural resources, including salt, limestone for building, and obsidian for tools and weaponry.

Jade, quetzal feathers (used to embellish the ornate garments of Maya royalty), and marine shells—used as trumpets in rituals and battle—were among the numerous treasures the environment also held for the Maya.

End of Mayans

Unknown events rocked the Maya society to its core from the late eighth until the end of the ninth century. The southern lowlands’ Classic cities were abandoned one by one, and by the year 900 A.D., the Mayan civilisation there had vanished. Despite the fact that academics have established a number of opposing theories, the cause of this inexplicable drop remains unknown.

Some argue that by the ninth century, the Maya had rendered their surroundings uninhabitable to the point where they could no longer support a sizable population. Some Maya scholars contend that the ongoing conflict between rival city-states caused the intricate military, family (via marriage), and economic relationships between them to disintegrate, along with the established dynasty system of authority.

The intricate rituals and ceremonies of the holy lords’ complex traditions disintegrated into chaos as their status declined. Last but not least, a devastating environmental shift, such as a protracted, severe drought, may have wiped off the Classic Maya civilisation. Cities like Tikal would have been particularly hard struck by a drought since there, precipitation was required for both drinking and crop irrigation.

Drought, endemic conflict, overcrowding and exploitation of the land all have the potential to have contributed to the demise of the Maya in the southern lowlands. A few Maya settlements, including Chichen Itza, Uxmal, and Mayapán, continued to thrive in the Yucatan highlands during the Post-Classic Era (A.D. 900-1500). Yet, most Maya were already residing in agricultural communities by the time the Spanish conquerors showed up, with their magnificent cities being cloaked in lush jungles.

Source 

Ancient Maya: The Rise and Fall of a Rainforest Civilization by Arthur Demarest 2004.