The mayans

By: Dane Tahbaz

Government
In the Mayan civilization, Priests
were the most revered political
figures.
They ran the government, ruled
the cities and led religious
festivals.
Lord Pakal was one of the most
remembered Priests/Kings in
Mayan history.

art

Carvings and reliefs were some of

the primary focuses of Mayan
Artists. They used stucco to create
these masterpieces.
Mayan pottery and ceramics are
also highly valued artifacts.

Architecture
The most recognizable Mayan
Architecture is undoubtedly the
enormous stepped pyramids
erected during the pre-classical
period.
An especially famous Mayan
pyramid is Tikal, situated deep in
the rain forests of Guatemala.
The pyramid dates back all the
way back to the 4th century bc.

Writing system
Mayan writing system consisted of
a combination of phonetic symbols
and logograms.
It is said to be the only writing
system of the New World to
completely represent the
civilizations spoke language.
Presently, over 10,000 million
Mayan texts have been recovered.

Religion
Very similar in belief to the
Aztecs and Incas, the Mayans
possessed a polytheistic
religion.
Mayan religion coincided with
the celestial and terrestrial
cycles. The Mayan priest was
in charge of interpreting these
cycles and relaying their
meaning to the Mayan people.
Similar to many mainstream
religions, the Mayans believed
in an underworld, earth, and
the heavens.

Agriculture

Plant cultivation was fairly difficult in Mayan

territory because of the less than stellar
condition of soil.
Mayans would practice slash and burn
techniques in order to gain more land as well
as enrich the soil.
Mayans had four staple crops which the
livelihood of their civilization depended
upon. These were maize, squash, beans and
chili pepper.

Mathematics
Mayan mathematicians were the
first in the world to develop the
concept of zero. This
demonstrates how advanced the
society was.
Their mathematic prowess allowed
them to make extremely accurate
celestial observations and
predictions.

Mayan Collapse
Archaeological evidence shows
that the Mayan Civilization
collapsed shortly after their peak
in the classic periods.
No definitive answer has been
established but many theories have
been postulated on the subject.
Crop failure as a result of drought,
foreign invasion, overpopulation,
widespread revolt, and a collapse
of trade routes are all possibilities.

sources

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_civilization

http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/prehistory/latina
merica/meso/cultures/maya.html