Cultural structure (say that 3 times fast!).

This entry is about the cultural structure of the ancient Mayans

.The Mayans had no central government. Rather, they shared religion and culture in many city-states, not unlike ancient Greece. Think of wide areas, usually with a central, ruling city.Each of these areas or kingdoms had a absolute ruler, (k’uhul ahaw, divine ruler), from the gods.Typically, even with a absolute ruler, many of the kingdoms had advisors to the King that helped him rule.


Since territory or land was wealth, there were many wars between Kingdoms. Rivalries between Kingdoms was common, as was the taking of political prisoners to insure fealty. There were many trade agreements as well, as various areas had resources that others did not.
As with many cultures, the Mayans had a caste system, with the King and his family at the top, followed by nobles and priests.( The nobility (Almehenob'), the priesthood (Ah'kinob'),Then came the common people, freemen, farmers and artisans, (Ah'chembal uinieol'), and the slaves (Pencat'ob'). We also know they had terms for various occupations, such as  Itz’aat, “artisan”; Uxul, “stonecutter”; b’aah uxul, “head stonecutter”; Ah Bich’ul, “sculptor” or “polisher”; Ah Tz’ib, “scribe”; and for Priest or Shamans as: Ah K’uhun, Ah K’uhul Hu’n, and Ah K’uhuun, terms variously interpreted as “he of the holy books" "keeper of the paper/headbands,” or “he who worships"
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The central city contained palaces, ball courts, homes for nobles and of course pyramid temples, where religious ceremonies were performed.(There is a picture of one side of a ballcourt at the left. This one is in the central Plaza in the city of Tikal). A city could have a population as high as 45,000, with many more people living in the surrounding countryside. On a visit to Iximche, my guide told me that that city was actually divided by a central ditch, the poorer citizens living on one side, the nobles on the other. In most of the current ruins, the pyramid temples are the focal points, some looking like a classic pyramid, others having distinctive combs that rose 70 feet or more into the air. Below is a photo of the Temple of Inscriptions in Tikal.

A few more cultural points:
No beasts of burden, the Maya used slaves for all work.


No metal was used, wood and stone only.


The Mayans believed  that a flattened forehead and crossed eyes were signs of beauty. Noble children and others had boards tied to their foreheads, and had wax beads tied to dangle before their eyes to get that look. Ritual scarring was common among the elite, and the nobility often had their teeth sharpened to points.


The Mayan were very advanced in agriculture especially the growing of maize. This was used in trade, as well as sea shells, and cocoa beans. (Chocolate was a ceremonial drink).


The Maya had a system of writing that has only recently been fully understood, indeed there is still some discussion about the translations. They carved into stone, painted pottery, and did have books which they created by painting on fig tree bark. Many of those books were destroyed by the invading Spaniards. Several did survive, and my next entry will discuss the Popul Vuh, a wonderful key text from the ancient Mayans.


The Mayans also wrote numbers and they had a symbol for zero, which was very unusual among ancient civilisations. The Mayans were excellent astronomers and they could predict eclipses. This combination of astronomy and a strong numbering system gave light to a very elaborate calendar system, which we will visit in a future blog.

J.T. Turner
Mayanist


A photo of me at Temple 3, in the Central Plaza, Tikal.

The Maya

First a bit of history. I will try and be concise, and in return you will stay awake. :) The Maya or Mayans, still exists and have villages all through the Yucatan Peninsula, especially Guatemala. But the roots of the Maya goes back to roughly 2000 BC, (yes I used BC, if you have to be politically correct, substitute CE). The oldest current carbon dating in a Mayan site is 2600BC. Most importantly for any discussions about the Doomsday is the fact that the Mayan calendar dates back to 3114 BC. We will be discussing that calendar at length in future blogs. but the high point of the Mayan civilization, the classic period if you will, runs from 200BC to 900AD. The Maya homeland, called Mesoamerica, spans five countries: Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, and El Salvador. There are now indications that the people we call the Maya had migrated from North America to the highlands of Guatemala perhaps as long ago as 2600 B.C., living an agricultural, village-based life. The culture of these Preclassic Maya owes much to the earlier civilization of the Olmec, which flourished ca. 1200 B.C. ( If you ever get a chance, when in Guatemala, visit Takalik Abaj, where the Olmec and Mayan culture overlapped).


After that, for reasons that are still unclear, many of the key cities in the southern lowlands were abandoned. Southern highland cities and Northern cities still thrived, and the Mayan ruled well into the 1400's AD in parts of what is now Mexico.

But, as I mentioned, the Mayan still exists, and have held on to many important historical and cultural ways over the centuries. (Not long ago, I listen to a lecture on the Maya. The presenter started off by saying they were and ancient and dead civilization. Having spent time in Guatemala with many Mayan, I can assure you they are alive and well).

Below is a map that will give you an idea of the sphere of influence the Mayan Civilization had, including principal cities.




Next up will be some information about the structure of the classical Mayan world.


J.T. Turner- Mayanist

2012

I wanted to create a place were I could gather information about the so-called Mayan Doomsday of 12/21/12. As you may have guessed, I do not view this as a Doomsday, nor do the Mayans, living or dead. My personal hope is that people can view that date as a time of change, rebirth, a re-start. it could, if viewed sensibly, be a change for people to consider changing thier personal lives for the better.

So I will be mixing articles about the date, mayan history and lore, and using this blog to share. I hope you will join me for this journey.