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Episode 24-25, 30-39 - The Maya played important parts in
MCoG. They comprised the inhabitants of El Dorado and the Village of
the New Sun.
Maya (people), group of related Native American tribes of nations
of the Mayan linguistic stock, living in Mexico, in the states of Veracruz,
Yucatán, Campeche, Tabasco, and Chiapas, and also in the greater
part of Guatemala and in parts of Belize and Honduras. The best-known
tribe, the Maya proper, after whom the entire group is named, occupies
the Yucatán Peninsula. Among the other important tribes are the
Huastec of northern Veracruz; the Tzeltal of Tabasco and Chiapas; the
Chol of Chiapas; the Quiché, Cakchiquel, Pokonchi, and Pokomam
of the Guatemalan highlands; and the Chortí of eastern Guatemala
and western Honduras. With the exception of the Huastec, these tribes
occupy contiguous territory. They were all part of a common civilization,
which in many respects achieved the highest development among the original
inhabitants of the western hemisphere.
Agriculture formed the basis of the Mayan economy in pre-Columbian times,
maize being the principal crop. Cotton, beans, squash, manioc (see Cassava),
and cacao were also grown. The techniques of spinning, dyeing, and weaving
cotton were highly perfected. The Maya domesticated the dog and the
turkey but had no draft animals or wheeled vehicles. They produced fine
pottery, unequaled in the New World outside of Peru. Cacao beans and
copper bells were used as units of exchange. Copper was also used for
ornamental purposes, as were gold, silver, jade, shell, and colorful
plumage. Metal tools, however, were unknown. The tribes were ruled by
hereditary chiefs, descended in the male line, who delegated authority
over village communities to local chieftains. Land, held in common by
each village, was parceled out by these chieftains to the separate families.
See Native Americans.
Architecture
Mayan culture produced a remarkable architecture, of which great ruins
remain at a large number of places, including Palenque, Uxmal, Mayapán,
Copán, Tikal, Uaxactún, and Chichén Itzá.
These sites were vast centers for religious ceremonies. The usual plan
consisted of a number of pyramidal mounds, often surmounted by temples
or other buildings, grouped around open plazas. The pyramids, built
in successive steps, were faced with cut stone blocks and generally
had a steep stairway built into one or more of their sides. The substructure
of the pyramids was usually made of earth and rubble, but sometimes
mortared blocks of stone were used. The commonest type of construction
consisted of a core of rubble or broken limestone mixed with mortar,
and then faced with finished stones or stucco. Stone walls were also
frequently laid without mortar. Wood was used for door lintels and for
sculpture. The arch was not known, but its effect was approximated in
roofing buildings by making the upper layers of stone of two parallel
walls approach each other in successive projections until they met overhead.
This system, requiring very heavy walls, produced narrow interiors.
Windows were rare and were small and narrow. Interiors and exteriors
were painted in bright colors. Exteriors received special attention
and were lavishly decorated with painted sculpture, carved lintels,
stucco moldings, and stone mosaics. The decorations generally were arranged
in wide friezes contrasting with bands of plain masonry. Commoners'
dwellings probably resembled the adobe and palm-thatched huts seen today
among Mayan descendants.
Writings
The Mayan peoples developed a method of hieroglyphic notation and recorded
mythology, history, and rituals in inscriptions carved and painted on
stelae (stone slabs or pillars); on lintels and stairways; and on other
monumental remains (see Hieroglyphs). Records were also painted in hieroglyphs
and preserved in books of folded sheets of paper made from the fibers
of the maguey plant. Four examples of these codices have been preserved:
the Codex Dresdensis, now in Dresden; the Perez Codex, now in Paris;
and the Codex Tro and the Codex Cortesianus, both now in Madrid. The
Codex Tro and Codex Cortesianus comprise parts of a single original
document and are commonly known under the joint name Codex Tro-Cortesianus.
These books were used as divinatory almanacs containing topics such
as agriculture, weather, disease, hunting, and astronomy.
Calendar and Religion
Chronology among the Maya was determined by an elaborate calendar system.
The year began when the sun crossed the zenith on July 16 and consisted
of 365 days; 364 of the days were divided into 28 weeks of 13 days each,
the new year beginning on the 365th day. In addition, 360 days of the
year were divided into 18 months of 20 days each. The series of weeks
and the series of months both ran consecutively and independently of
each other; however, once every 260 days, that is, the multiple of 13
and 20, the week and the month began on the same day. The Mayan calendar,
although highly complex, was the most accurate known to humans until
the introduction of the Gregorian calendar. See Calendar.
The Mayan religion centered about the worship of a large number of nature
gods. Chac, a god of rain, was especially important in popular ritual.
Among the supreme deities were Kukulcan, a creator god closely related
to the Toltec and Aztec Quetzalcoatl, and Itzamna, a sky god. An important
Mayan trait was their complete trust in the gods' control of certain
units of time and of all peoples' activities during those periods.
Linguistic Stock
Maya, called also Yucatec, the language of the Maya proper, is spoken
by about 350,000 people in Yucatán, Guatemala, and Belize. The
other languages of the Mayan stock include the language of the Huastec
and several groups of closely affiliated languages, including those
of the Chañabal, Chol, Chontal, Chortí, Chuj, Jacaltec,
Motozintlec, Tzeltal, and Tzotzil; those of the Kekchí, Pokomam,
and Pokonchi; those of the Cakchiquel, Quiché, Tzutuhil, and
Uspantec; and those of the Aguacatec, Ixil, and Mam. See Native American
Languages.
History
The origins of Mayan civilization are conjectural, depending on conflicting
interpretations of archaeological evidence. The Formative period began
at least as early as 1500 BC. During the Classic period, from about
AD 300 to 900, a more or less uniform civilization was diffused throughout
the Mayan territories. Great ceremonial centers such as Palenque, Tikal,
and Copán were built. About 900, however, the Mayan centers were
mysteriously abandoned. Some Maya migrated into Yucatán.
During the Post-Classic period, from 900 to the arrival of the Spanish
in the 16th century, Mayan civilization centered in Yucatán.
A Toltec migration or invasion from the Valley of Mexico strongly influenced
its art styles. Chichén Itzá and Mayapán were prominent
cities. For a while the league of Mayapán maintained the peace,
but after a period of civil war and revolution, the cities were abandoned.
The Spanish easily overcame the major Mayan groups, although the Mexican
government did not succeed in subduing the last independent communities
until 1901. In the late 20th century the Maya made up the bulk of the
peasant population in their former lands.
Microsoft(R) Encarta(R) 98 Encyclopedia. (c) 1993-1997 Microsoft Corporation.
All rights reserved.
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