The Mayans

Mayan Culture/Art/Religion
The Mayans made art that many believe to be a
sophisticated and beautiful example of the ancient
new world. Today we have only a few examples of
Mayan Art the most that survived were funeral
pottery. They were highly skilled potters and
weavers. They were also known for their pyramids
like the Egyptians. The Mayan Civilization was
formed as early as 1500 BC. The Mayan Religion
centered on the worship of nature gods. Their
amazing architecture remains as great ruins of
where they performed religious ceremonies. They
also developed astronomy, calendar systems, and
writing. They built observatories to watch the stars.
The Mayans also enjoyed chocolate. The Mayans
referred to it as the drink of the gods. They also
had other food such as cornmeal, black beans, and
roasted meat. They ate fruit, cactus fruit, and
greens. They also had a game were u had to hit a
ball through a hoop. It was called Pok-a-Tok
The Mayans and Europeans
On Columbus’s fifth voyage he met these Indian
people on the coast of Cuba who said they were
ancient descendants of the ancient Mayan
 civilization. Cortes conquered the Aztecs in a year
but it took twenty years for them to capture the
Yucatan. The Mayans fought for 20 years with the
invaders but lost the fight. The Mayan civilization
was slaughtered but European disease consumed
the population. There were some rebellion against
the Spanish. The Yucatan Mayans started a major
riot in July 1847 the Spanish was were so distracted
with the war between the U.S. and Mexico they
almost lost the island. The Mayans resisted for
years but shortage of weapons and food caused
them to surrender in 1901.