THE MAYA

CIVILIZATION
Joan Acosta Prada 1
Grade: Seventh
 The History
Is a mesoamerican civilization that stood out over more than two millennia in numerous
sociocultural aspects such as its hieroglyphic writing, one of the few fully developed writing
systems of the pre-Columbian American continent, its art, architecture, its mythology and its
remarkable systems of numbering, as well as in astronomy, mathematics, and understanding
ecology. It was developed in Guatemala, southeastern Mexico.

During the formative period, before 2000 a. C., the development of agriculture began and the
population became sedentary establishing itself in the first villages. In the Preclassic period 2000
a. C. until 250 d. C. the first complex societies were developed and the basic foods of the Mayan
diet were cultivated: corn, beans, squash and chili. The first Mayan cities developed around 750
BC. C. Around 500 a. These cities had a monumental architecture, including large temples with
stucco facades. Glyphic writing was used from the 3rd century BC. In the late pre-classic period,
large cities developed in the Petén Basin, and Kaminaljuyú rose to prominence in the Guatemalan
highlands.

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 Culture

The culture of the Mayans is based on architecture, astronomy and politics, since swegun the Mayans
enian a pyramid in which the highest that was was the one that was closest to the sky to worship the
gods, they also had a very frequent use of corn and more grains.

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 sociality
Beginning with the Early Preclassic, Mayan society was characterized by a strict division
between the elite and the commoners. With population growth over time, various sectors of
society became more and more specialized and political organization became more and
more complex. By the Late Classic, when the population had grown considerably, and
hundreds of cities were connected in a complex network of political hierarchies, the
segment of the wealthy in Mayan society multiplied. A middle class, composed of artisans,
may also have developed. low-ranking officials and priests, merchants, and soldiers.
Commoners included peasants, servants, laborers, and slaves.

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 Politics
Unlike the Aztecs and Incas, the Mayan political system never incorporated the entire Mayan cultural
area into a single state or empire. Rather, throughout its history, the Maya area was made up of a mix
of varying political complexity that included both states and chiefdoms. The links between these
political entities fluctuated enormously, as they were involved in a complex network of rivalries,
periods of domination or submission, vassalage and alliances. Occasionally, some political entities
achieved regional dominance, such as Calakmul, El Caracol, Mayapán, and Tikal. The first reliable
evidence for the existence of political entities in the Maya lowlands dates back to the 9th century BC.
C. During the Late Preclassic, the Maya political system evolved into a theopolitical form, where the
elite ideology justified the authority of the ruler.

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Very Thank’s