The Maya World

The Maya World

The Maya World defines the geographical boundaries of the ancient Maya empire which spread through the countries of Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, western Honduras and the five Mexican states of Yucatán, Quintana Roo, Tabasco, Campeche and Chiapas. The total area is around 500,000 square kilometers.

The Maya were one of the most brilliant and powerful cultures known to Mesoamerica, indeed their civilization spanned a period of 3,000 years. They had a written language, were skilled architects, adventurous traders and gifted artisans. They lived in an agrarian society and had a well-developed religious system which venerated the cosmos. Royal dynasties spawned rulers who built the exotic temples and commanding ceremonial centers which still stand today.

Now considered one of the most advanced civilizations ever to exist in ancient America, the Maya are credited with a series of astonishing breakthroughs. Their civilization endured for more than 3,000 years, from around 2,000 B.C. to 1521 A.D. Mayan history is divided into three periods: Pre-Classic, from 2000 B.C. to 250 A.D., Classic (when the Maya reached their peak), from 250 A.D. to 900 A.D. and the Post-Classic or period of decline, from 900 A.D. to 1521 A.D. when Spanish rule of Mexico began.

Mayan culture was characterized by:

monumental-style architecture set in urban and ceremonial centers.
an empire controlled by a network of city-states with dense populations.
a well-ordered social class system with defined occupations and trades.
a system of hieroglyphic writing, the use of codex ( bark paper books) and a calendar.
development of arts and sciences such as medicine. trade carried on within a wide sphere.
Commercial routes extended from the Maya World north to Central Mexico and south as far as Panama.
an agrarian society based on the cultivation of corn. Irrigation was practised in some areas.
a well-defined religious system based on the cosmos and nature which required honoring the god of the sun, moon, rain and corn, for example.
Apart from social and political policies, the most dramatic achievements of the culture included a calendar which was infinitely more accurate than the Gregorian in use today, the invention of the “zero” in their mathematical system and the development of astronomy and astrology to a high science by charting the movements of the sun, moon and stars.

The Maya Legacy & Major Archeological Sites

Today the legacy of the Maya is recognized worldwide thanks to excavation work, the deciphering of their glyph language and diligent research. They not only developed a calendar as accurate as our Gregorian but were also highly-skilled astronomers, astrologers, urban planners and excelled as mathematicians.

Their grand cities with monumental temples were built without the use of today’s tools. Yet, each major city-state was carefully planned with temples and palaces in the center, a nearby ball court for the famous pre-Hispanic team sport and the surrounding adobe houses of the common people at a respectable distance from the ceremonial center of town.

One of the Maya’s unique contributions to architecture is the Korbel Arch, also called the Maya Arch, which was formed by projecting stone blocks out from each side of a wall until they met forming a peak. The Maya also invented the wheel but, dismissing its usefulness, only used it for children’s toys.

When it came to mathematics, time and calendars, the Maya were geniuses. Believing that time repeated itself in cycles, they devised two calendars, one ritualistic, which was used for religious celebrations and astrological predictions, and the other a solar calendar. Both calendars were based on the calculation that a year had a little more than 365 days, a more precise system than the Gregorian calendar. Following the movement of the sun, moon and stars with such accuracy, the Maya were able to predict such mystifying phenomena as eclipses and the Spring and Autumn equinoxes.

The construction of the Kukulcán Pyramid at Chichén Itzá was planned so that each Equinox the dying sun would cast a shadow of a serpent writhing down the steps of the pyramid. At nearby Dzibilchaltún long streams of sunbeams hit the exact center of two windows opposite each other while at Edzna, Campeche, the mask of the sun god is beautifully illuminated during the Equinox.

The Maya also incorporated the concept of zero in their mathematical system long before it was discovered by others. Instead of the decimal system, however, they used a vigesimal count, multiplying by 20 instead of ten. Eventually, they used the katun or a 20-year period to record the passage of time.

Another major step forward by the Maya was the invention of their hieroglyphic writing system. Glyphs embellished stelae and temples throughout the Maya world and cover the famous hieroglyphic stairway at Copan. Hieroglyphics were used to record historical events or, as at Copan, the achievements of the royal dynasty. Unfortunately, actual books or codices written by the Maya on deerskin or tree bark and formed like concertinas, were destroyed by the Spanish conquistadors. Only three codices, which have found their way to foreign museums, escaped destruction. The codices related Maya mythology, history, religious beliefs and arts and sciences through brightly-painted ideograms, or symbols. Maya scholars were not able to interpret the glyphs until 20 years ago when a team of Mexican and U.S. experts broke the code at Palenque. The Maya also had a strong oral tradition which was strengthened after the destruction of the codices.

A text of the ancient “Popol Vuh” or “Book of Advice”, written in the Maya Quiche language of Guatemala, was discovered by a 17th friar and rescued from oblivion. Translated into Spanish by the monk, Popul Vuh described the creation of the universe, according to Maya beliefs and legends. In Mexico, the “Chilam Balam,” a book of history, astrology, medicine and prophecies written in Maya using Latin script, was found in the Yucatán peninsula and also saved.

The Maya culture produced fine sculptors who created beautifully-proportioned figures in perfect balance and harmony on stelae. Doorframes were elaborately carved while facades and columns of buildings were covered with masks and friezes to honor the gods.

Pottery-making also developed into a popular handicraft. The clay pots, dried in the open air instead of being baked in kilns, were just as likely to turn up in a householder’s kitchen as at a temple ritual. Ceremonial pieces were often painted with mythological figures. Gold jewelry was principally for ceremonial use. while the most precious stone, jade, was so highly valued it was used either as an offering for the gods or as decoration on a nobleman’s costume. People also hung pieces of jade carved in the shape of an animal or a bead around their neck to ward off illness.