1. Define Mayan terms such as Metate, Pok-a-Tok, Tortillas. 2. Describe the religious practices of the Mayan people. 3. Describe the social activities

Religious Practices

Religion played a very great part in the life of the Maya people. Only the priests who performed

the ceremonies could enter these temples. The worshippers remained outside, in the plazas or

courtyards surrounding the sacred pyramid.

● The Mayans were polytheistic. They believed in as many as 166 gods!

● Mayan Major gods were: Yum Kaax (god of corn) Chac (god of rain) Pipil (god of sun)

Kunab Ku (Supreme creator). All gods have to be treated with respect.

● They believed some gods lived in the underworld, some walked the earth and others ruled

the sky and the heavens.

● Practice blood sacrifice to their gods.

● Nature worship

● They too had a number of myths to explain the mysteries of life including earth and the

creation of man.

They believed in:

❖ The forces of good and evil- The good gods lived in 13 heavens and evil lived in 9 hells.

❖ Life after death- Heaven and hell

❖ The underworld- There is punishment in the afterlife for those who lived an evil life

❖ There is reward in the afterlife for those who lived a good life. Warriors and those who

were killed in sacrifice were sure going to heaven.

❖ Confessing to the priest on one’s deathbed.

❖ Offering human sacrifices to the gods, especially virgin girls! Blood was the most

valuable sacrifice of all, particularly an offering of a throbbing human heart.

❖ Using incense in the process of communicating with the gods

❖ Having birthday festivals and celebrations in honor of the gods

❖ Ceremonies with music and dance.

❖ Keeping the gods happy (appeasing the gods)

2nd form History June 2023

❖ Dead were buried with maize drink and tools of trade.

SOCIAL LIFE

● Houses for the poorer class were made of wattle and houses for the

nobles were made of stone

● The houses had no windows and doors.

● Furniture was limited. Just sleeping racks made from sapling laced with

springy branches and covered with a grass mattress and cotton blankets.

● Women were considered inferior. No woman could inherit property. The

women spent a lot of time in the preparation of food.

● Corn was grind on a metate (grinding stone) and the meal was made into flat

cakes called tortillas.

● A thief was punished by having to work off the value of the theft.

● They played a ball game called pok-a-tok

● They Had large wooden drums called tunku

Social Class in the Mayan Society

Not surprisingly therefore the society was also organized along rigid class lines. These ranged

from the royal family, the nobles: those who held top ranking government positions as well as

the scribes, the priests, the merchant class, the farmers and craftsmen and the slaves. The Mayan

society was a complex one. They were very intelligent and therefore the society accommodated

these privileged people in the noble class. Usually though the astronomers and astrologers and

mathematicians were from the priesthood. A list of the various occupations that existed will help

us to understand the various groups of people that made up the Mayan society include:

Engineers, Architects, Priests, Teachers, Mathematicians, Astronomers, Scribes, Merchants,

Traders, Farmers, Miners, Those who worked in the Forest industry, Craftsmen or artisans.

Gender Roles in the Mayan Society

In Mayan society, the women played a subservient role. Mayan women were not allowed to

drink at functions. They were supposed to take their drunken husbands home!

They could not hold public office. Their main functions were child bearers and home makers. In

fact, a Mayan man could divorce his wife if she did not bear him any children.

They were also given specific roles. They worked to pay the tribute tax. Weaving and pottery

were done exclusively by the women. There were more recreational activities that the men were

allowed to participate in. for example there was only one dance in which the men and women

were allowed to dance together. All other dances were done by the men together. The men also

participated in bow and arrow contests.