#10: The Maya

Agriculture…….environmental decline due to it

Incans/Aztecs —> spanish

Aztecs eventrually conquered yucatan when mayans had dclined

Incas —> believed they conquered everything —>amazon/ocean —> never met aztec

The Americas

           a) 1st humans cross land bridge in Bering Strait to Alaska from Siberia c. 15,000 years ago

  • migrated northeastern Asia —> Alaska

The Maya   

           a) The “New” World: Maya arose in the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico

  • Mayans shaped by environment —> geography= destiny

           b) Yucatan —> “seasonal” tropical rain forest….DROUGHT!!!!

  • no large animals —> agriculture (corn/yams/beans)

    —> slash & burn agriculture…

           c) natural resources: limestone, flint, obsidian rock, salt, jade, cacao beans 

  • limestone —> rlly good building….flint/obsidian—> tools/weapons..

  • SALT SUPER IMPORTANT FOR BEING ALIVE…& food preservative

    —> tons of salt imported —> economy?

  • JADE AND CACAO BEANS: WEALTH AND chocolate drink

Diff periods of Maya: preclassic/classic/postclassic

HOW DID THE MAYANS GET THEIR FOOD?

WHAT WAS THE ENVIRONMENT LIKE IN YUCATAN?

WHAT WERE SOME AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS THE MAYANS WERE KNOWN FOR?

The Classic Period

  • 1)   Writing

    • a) only fully developed system of writing → inscriptions, books (WEST ONLY)

    • b) Diego de Landa: spanish priest …horrible atrocities

      —> attempting to convert population + cultural violence

      —> destroyed THOUSANDS OF books, art, monuments —> biggest crime

      —> said was the work of the devil

    • c) luckily much still survived: 15,000 inscriptions have so far been discovered

      —> b/c Diego didnt know about them

      —> still only 4 Mayan books have survived

    • d) 500 symbols, 300 deciphered; symbols —> words/syllables/sounds

    • most what we found based on monuments/inscriptions

WHO WAS THE BAD PERSON IN THE MAYANS??? WHAT DID HE DO??? WHAT RESULTED FROM THAT???

  • 2)   Long Count Calendar

    • a) calendar begins: August 13, 3114BCE, significance unknown      

    • b) calaendar broken down into:

      —> baktun (400 years),

      —> katun (20),

      —> tun (1),

      —> winal (20 days),

      —> kin (1 day)

    • c) 13 baktuns=cycle of history; last ended December 23, 2012 (last baktun)

    • d) Classic Period —> 8th, 9th and 10th baktuns

    • e) November 15, 2023CE on the Mayan calendar=1.0.10.16.7 

  • 3)   Astronomy and Religion (tied into calendar)

    • a) heavens reveal the

      —> will of the gods,

      —> clues to the future,

      —> propitious days to do things, rituals, war    

    • b) comforting to be able to predict movements of stars/moon/planets/sun and occurrences of eclipses 

WHY WAS ASTRONOMY SIGNIFICANT WITH THE MAYANS?

WHAT WOULD THEY USE ASTRONOMY FOR?

WHAT DOES THE HEAVENS REVEAL?

  • 4)   Mathematics

    • a) 3 symbols: dot=1, bar=5, shell=ZERO

      —> make incredibly complex mathematical computations

    • b) predict: eclipses, lunar month=29.5302 days

      —> (actual=29.5305 days=off by .0003), planets’ synodical cycle

    • c) Venus: synodical 584 days (actual=583.92 days), appearance as Evening Star=attack enemies, “Star” War 

  • stars/planets rlly important for religion...math important —> predict them

  • VENUS MOST IMPORTANT —> b/c is brightest…morning star/ evening star is both Venus

    —> start war when Venus becomes evening —> “star wars”

WHAT MATHEMATICAL CONCEPT DID THE MAYANS INVENT???

EXPLAIN THE STAR WARS…EXPLAIN VENUS

  • 5)   Government      

    • a) never politically unified: 60 independent city-states each ruled by an ajaw (“king”)

    • b) ajaw —> political/military/religious leader of his people 

      —> ajaw’s power given by gods

    • c) power derived from the gods —> must keep the gods happy

      —> built mega temples

      —> human sacrifices

      —> sponsored ball games

    • d) pitz = ballgame, team sport with rules and points played in specific stadiums built for the purpose 

WHAT MUST THE AJAW DO TO KEEP THE GODS HAPPY???

  • 6)   War

    • a) king must lead army into battle: defend city-state; plunder enemy, conquer land=vassals/tribute

    • b) soldiers: shields, helmets, cotton padded armor, sling stones, bows, javelins, spears, flint knives

    • c) war=Holy War: carried banners of the gods into battle

WHAT MUST AJAWS DO IN WAR???

  • 7)   Kingdom of the Snakes

    • a) Calakmul=greatest city: 100,000 people, 22 square miles, 117 monuments, 6000 buildings, 5 reservoirs  

    • b) April 29, 562: Star War=King Chan-na defeats main rival city of Tikal/executes king/destroys city

    • largest/powerful city-state —> closest to empire —> controlled cities around it

WHAT IS CALAKMUL???

Terminal Classic

     1)   Decline

           a) c. 10 million Maya in 800: land could not support such a large population

           b) environmental collapse

—> deforestation, erosion, soil exhausted or washed away

           c) #1 cause —> DROUGHT, lasted more than 200 years

           d) no water=fewer crops=malnutrition/starvation, infant mortality, disease, death rate>birthrate 

           e) War: no water and no food

—> fight for dwindling resources =>war becomes endemic and more violent

           f) war —> too dangerous to farm further decreasing food supply

           g) divine right of kings threatened, cannot make it rain or keep the people safe

—> lost the mandate of heaven

           h) civil war, revolution, constant violence, anarchy

     2)   Collapse

           a) 800: Cancuen    

           b) 822: Copan

           c) 849: Calakmul

           d) 869: Tikal

           e) 909: Tonina

           f) January 15, 910: Itzimte —> last inscription