Overview of the long history of the Mayan civilization

December 20, 2012 is the date on which the Maya calculated the end of their calendar.

All over the world there have been episodes of runs on bunkers and supermarkets, alternating with wild parties on the occasion of the end of times based on one of the most accurate and famous calendars in the history of humanity: that of the Maya.

This testifies to how rich, powerful and ingenious the influence of the Mayan civilization has been centuries after its disappearance.

The Mayan people left us a legacy of scientific discoveries and at the same time beliefs and superstitions, almost in contrast with their advanced civilization.

At the same time, architectural beauty, love of the ball, somewhat like modern football, and exemplary punishments for violating social norms have been at the center of social life.

Chronology of the Maya

Although traces of human settlements dating back to over 8,000 years ago have been found in the territory occupied by the Maya, the date of the beginning of their civilization has not yet been ascertained.

Most archaeologists agree in identifying the beginning of the Mayan civilization around 1800 BC, with the first settlements and the cultivation of corn, beans, pumpkin and chili peppers, ingredients that are still part of the diet of the Yucatan region and not only.

One of the main events in the history of the Maya was the great migration that occurred around the 9th century and which led to the abandonment of cities and cultivated lands. The reasons are still unknown, but are probably attributable to drought, overpopulation and the consequent erosion of the land and emerging conflict.

When the Spanish arrived in the 16th century, the Mayan warriors were no longer so numerous; thus the conquistadors attacked and conquered the last Mayan city, Itza Nojpeten, visited in 1525 and totally destroyed in 1697.

The duration of the Mayan civilization is still the subject of debate among scholars, but it is generally divided into 5 periods:

• Aracaic0, 8000 to 2000 BC.
• Preclassic: from 2000 BC to 250 AD
• Postclassic: 950 to 1539
• Period of contact with the Spanish: from 1511 to 1697

Within each period there are further subdivisions: archaic, middle, late. Furthermore, dates can fluctuate because dates cannot yet be assigned to events with certainty.

Mayan civilization: the territory

The Maya developed within the Mesoamerican cultural area that occupies today’s Mexico, in Central America.

At the height of their civilization, the Maya occupied the entire Yucatan Peninsula in southeastern Mexico and extended farther south into present-day Belize and Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador.

This vast territory had the coast, plains and the famous Mayan plateaus, a mountain range that extends from the plateau of the Mexican region of Chiapas to Guatemala.

There was enough arable land and water for the entire population, but the Maya were able to modify the natural landscape by building impressive and beautiful cities including Chichen Itza and Tulum, in modern-day Mexico, and Tikal in Guatemala. Currently these cities are important archaeological centers that have brought to light the political structure of the Maya, knowledge in mathematics and astronomy, as well as art.

Politics in Mayan times

Rather, the Maya lived in city-states, much like the Ancient Greeks, and were ruled by a king or an elite, in rare cases by a council. The different kingdoms were connected to each other through trade, diplomatic relations and a tribute system.

More powerful states could impose tribute on their militarily weaker neighbors. These tributes could be monetary or non-monetary.

At first, the Maya were ruled by traditional leaders, but in the Classic period leadership became more centralized and powerful.

Kings held their positions by descent and divine right: political connection with other rulers was a way to maintain power.

Anyone who rebelled against the established power was punished severely. In the classical period, human sacrifice was used as a tool of social control.

Mayan society

The two major social classes were the nobles and the common people who had completely different ways of living.

At the top, of course, were the rulers followed by the nobles who acquired the title by royal grant or because they were owners of land, independently of the king.

Religious leaders were also part of the ruling class, as were army leaders. Also included in the nobility were:

• state officials
• tax collectors
• plantation leaders (especially coffee)
• leaders of commercial expeditions
• high-ranking religious men
• local administrators

The sons of kings had to demonstrate that they were capable of defending the kingdom before inheriting it, so they first had to assume a military rank.

Daughters often married the sons of other kings, to maintain good political relations and consolidate power within each kingdom.

A common merchant had the opportunity to get rich through trade but could not flaunt his wealth with ornaments, clothes, or improve the conditions of his family.

Also learn how Egyptian society was stratified.

The religious beliefs of the Maya

The Maya observed ancestor worship; such was the devotion that the dead were buried under the houses!

In addition to their own ancestors, the Maya venerated approximately 200 gods. The most important were those related to creation, fertility, rain and lightning, and death.

Even among the deities there was a hierarchy, so some gods were more powerful and revered than others. Some gods were even mocked.

The vastness of the Mayan territory was such that the same god could have different names, depending on the region.

The god Itzama, for example, was the god of the sun, water and writing, while Ixchel was the goddess of the moon, midwifery and medicine.

The Maya and science

The knowledge of the Maya was highly developed and led to great achievements for humanity.

Technology

Just look at the remains of Mayan architecture to understand how advanced their technology was for the time: symmetrical, precise lines due to geometric and mathematical knowledge.

Furthermore, the stone was cut and transported even without the use of metal and wheels.

Another peculiarity of the Maya was the use of bright colors, obtained with a mixture of color and mica, a mineral very present in the area, and used to decorate buildings and the human body.

Scientists discovered that the Mayans were able to mix rubber with other materials to make it stronger. This process is called vulcanization and was already used 3000 years ago.

Vulcanized stone was used to create waterproof bags and clothing, book covers and balls to play with.

The Mayan calendar

The calendar we currently use is the Gregorian one, dating back to the Middle Ages. Millennia before, the Maya had adopted a very precise calendar.

The shortest Mayan calendar was called Tzolkin and had a cycle of 260 days. It was used to determine agricultural activities and plan religious ceremonies. More or less as long as a pregnancy.

The Haab calendar was a 365-day calendar, like ours, and was divided into 18 months of 20 days each. The last 5 days of the year were considered the most unlucky, so the Mayans stayed at home avoiding any activity.

The long calendar was used to calculate all lunar cycles since the beginning of time. To better understand the Mayan calendar it is necessary to know their mathematics.

Mathematics

Unlike the numerical system of the Mesopotamian civilizations, based on the value 60, the mathematics of the Maya was vigesimal, therefore based on the number 20.

They adopted a number system using 3 symbols and zero.

Using sticks, stones and shells, all Mayans could use mathematics in their daily lives!

Since the Mayan number system was based on 20 (ours is based on 10), their calendar calculation was the Haab calendar multiplied by 20⁴.

According to some recent article, there was a typo in the Mayan calendar, so the end of the world (or rather of the calendar) would actually be December 21, 2021!

What was the calculation system used by the Incas?

Mayan writing

The Mayan graphic system included over 800 symbols. Some are logosyllabic, meaning a symbol represents an entire word, somewhat like Chinese and Japanese writing.

Other forms of Mayan writing involved the use of words made up of syllables. About 300 Mayan glyphs are considered syllabic.

This writing system was the most developed in pre-Columbian America, but only nobles could learn it.

This means that the workers who made the hieroglyphics on walls, sculptures and pottery were unable to read and write!

Scribes, religious people and military leaders used writing to recount their lives on tree bark, which was then hidden under animals.

These books describe life in Mayan times, military actions, political and social events such as ball games and festivals.

The complexity of ancient civilizations like that of the Maya cannot be told in a few lines. There are still many things to discover!