A table showing the Comparative Analysis of two indigenous Meso American groups

Society

Tainos Settlement villages were established near rivers and the coast. The houses were built of thatch The cacique lived in a bohio whilst the other natives lived in a caneye

Politics

The cacique was the leader of the village settlement or the large area. The cacique was the law maker as while as the high priest. The Tainos depended in the Cacique to make all decisions on life for them. The title of cacique was hereditary and

Mayas Settlements known as city states had large populations. The Mayas lived in round huts. They had spectacular ceremonial buildings and grounds The Mayan society was divided into ruling class, working class and merchant class. The merchant class or ppolms played an important role in trade and spying. Each city state was governed by a Halach Uinich. This position was hereditary. The villages were supervised by minor chiefs known as batabs. The Mayas who were military strategists appointed Nacoms to act as Colonels in Chiefs of each military unit.

Religion

cases excited where women held the position. Some famous caciques across the Caribbean included Guancaganari of Ayti (Hispaniola) and Hatuey in Cuba. The Tainos worhsipped zemis They were polytheistic as the Tainos had zemis for every aspect of life. The cacique was the religious leader of the village and the cacique was the direct link to the Zemis They used tobacco as a part of religious ceremonies. The Tainos believed Coyaba was heaven

These Nacoms were elected every three years.

Trade, Agriculture and Food

Slash and Burn Method was used i.e. Subsistence Farming

The Mayas worshipped 166 gods The Mayan Gods represented spirits of both good and evil. The Halach Uinich was the supreme priest whilst the ah kin was the priests who were main figures in Mayan culture. The Mayas built large stone pyramids with temples at the apex. They wrote hieroglyphs to record historical events and used the temples for astrological research. The Mayas grew enough to store for the future and also to trade. The trade was

The Tainos grew corn, cassava, cotton and tobacco among other crops. The Tainos hunted turtles, iguana, fish and agouti/ coney Technology Tainos used cotton trees to make canoes for fishing and for transport across the river or on long voyages across the Caribbean Sea. They made pottery and wove baskets and clothing materials. The Tainos also used petrogylphs to record specific events on the walls of caves.

Ball Games

Batos was the name of the ball game played by the Tainos for recreation. It was a hand ball game

conducted by the ppolms who also spied on the other tribes. The Mayans used cocoa beans and bartering as trading implements/ currency. The Mayas developed a calendar that had 365 days to make up a year and they had a complex system of Mathematics that used base 20 to count. They used steales to mark significant events in a decade. Pyramids were built for worship and astrological research. They recorded events using a series of picture writing known as hieroglyphics. The Mayan ball game was called pok a tok. The players had to butt the ball through hoops set 10 metres from the ground. The looser would

executed after the match.