Who Are the Mayan Civilization
The Mayan Indians lived -- and still live -- In Central America and southeast Mexico. The
ruins of their step (square-shaped and built in terraces) pyramids are a major tourist draw.
The Mayans achieved a very high cultural level, perfecting techniques of architecture,
hieroglyphics, astronomy, agriculture, and metallurgy.
Many of the foodstuffs of today (corn, squash, chocolate, tropical fruits, turkeys) were perfected
by the Mayans, as was the production of cotton.
Mayan weaving is considered among the finest textiles in history.
Jewelry and weapons made of jade, gold, and silver are outstanding examples of the craft.
Unfortunately, most of the jewelry at the time of the Conquest (Columbus landed off of the coast
of Honduras during his first voyage to the New World) was melted down to finance the economy
of Spain.
The Mayans had a complex calendar system based on 13 months in continuous cycles. Outside
of the Arabs, they were the only culture to develop the concept of zero. Mayan astronomers
made calculations and charted celestial bodies that went undiscovered until the development of
high-powered telescopes. How the Mayans did this is unknown.
There are millions of Mayans in the region today. Like so many indigenous people, they are
considered outcasts of society, and have suffered greatly during the region's many civil wars.
They are considered one of the greatest architects, craters and weavers in history.
What Were Three Major Achievements of the Mayan Civilization?
Three major achievements of the Mayan civilization were in architecture, astronomy and
math. The Maya people were great builders who constructed roads, great cities and temples.
Mayan cities had magnificent palaces, monuments with intricate designs and temple pyramids
that are still evident today.
Pyramid temples, which were constructed for their gods, often incorporated elements of
advanced Mayan astronomy, such as the temple of Chichen Itza. The Maya were skilled
astronomers that understood astrological cycles, which was important for agriculture and the
planting of crops. Calendar making was related to astronomy, and the Maya created round and
long calendars. The Maya also were good mathematicians and had a numbering system, which
was 20-based.
Some other achievements were their writing system and artworks. Although the Mayan
civilization was more than 2000 years old, many of these achievements occurred during 300 to
900 A.D., which was their Classic Period. The Mayan civilization flourished in parts of Mexico
and Central America.
The 10 most important contributions of the Maya
1- Discovery of the number zero
A concept pertaining to the modern developments of mathematics, made around the year 357
BC. While it is known that the Olmecs first used it, the Maya discovered it independently.
2- Predicted the end of the world (Based on their Calendar)
The idea that the Maya had predicted the end of the earth by the year 2012 was popularized
recently. In reality, the Mayan calendar begins in 3114 BC and is divided into 394 year cycles
called Baktuns .
The twelfth baktun ended on December 21, 2012, indicating that a new cycle was beginning, but
this was interpreted as the end of our era.
3- Language
According to UNESCO, the Maya population today has a very rich variety of up to 69 different
dialects of language, some with only 53 speakers (teko) and others with more than 400,000
(tsetal). This current population extends within the territories of Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El
Salvador and Honduras.
4- Food
Dishes as popular as corn tortillas, chili and guacamole are another legacy left to us by the
Mayans. Many of them are still present in the Mexican gastronomy .
5- Architecture
The Maya built numerous buildings, with a much larger population than the current one in the
same area. Among them is the south of Palenque (Belize), with cities such as Xunantunich.
They also documented their history by engraving on stone with their writing, many of which
were destroyed by the Spaniards under the belief that they were heresies.
Cities like Tikal had a population between 50 and 60 thousand people, in an area without
drinking water, using channels to use rainwater. Holes were made in the stone to store food.
When these were recently discovered, they still had seeds in them.
6- Agriculture
The Maya agriculture system is very interesting. It is based on growing grains, corn and stacking
the leaves. Grain and corn are a complementary source of protein. The grain provides the soil
with the nitrogen that the corn is carrying. The stacked leaves protect the soil from the rain and
the sun.
Experts think that the very long periods of rain forced the Mayans to scatter throughout Central
America leaving their cities.
7- Technology
The construction of the Mayan buildings goes beyond placing stone on stone. They knew
concepts such as stress and fatigue of materials.
When the Spaniards arrived in America, they found the traces of the great Mayan civilizations in
a state of abandonment. The little that is known of them is thanks to the excavations and the
interpretation of its writings and drawings.
In spite of possessing a very complex calendar and a numerical system, they did not discover the
wheel nor had an alphabet. Nevertheless they possessed the first language that could be spoken
and written known in Americe.
8- Art
The Maya were one of the earliest civilizations in which the creators of paintings and sculptures
left their signatures engraved. Only remains of ceramics and murals are preserved, where the
beauty and color of his work can be appreciated.
9- Politics
Maya society consisted of a small state whose leader inherited power. The kingdoms were a
large city with its surroundings.
There were larger kingdoms that ruled more extensive territories, with names that did not
necessarily correspond to a specific locality. This system dominated until the 900 years D.C.
When Maya society collapsed.
10- Astronomy
Thanks to their astronomical observations, the Maya had a calendar of 365 days and fraction,
they knew the Venusian year of 260 days, and a mythical beginning of time located 3114 years
before Christ. Based on this they could predict solar eclipses.
Current Problems with Mayan Culture
Despite efforts to preserve Maya culture, they have been subject to discrimination and prejudice
today.
Culturally, books, films and documentaries have been written to spread the knowledge and way
of life of the Maya.
They have asserted their rights to express and practice their religion, speak their language and
preserve their traditions, before Mexican authorities. There are currently groups in Chiapas,
south of Mexico, that demand autonomy
Top 10 Inventions of the Maya Civilization
The ancient Maya civilization existed in present-day Mexico and Central America from 2600
BC until the Spanish arrived in the 16th century. Part of the Mesoamerican culture, which
included various indigenous tribes in the region, the Maya made important discoveries in the
areas of science and cosmology which enabled them to create a complex calendar system. They
were gifted designers and architects who built grand structures including royal residences,
galactic observatories, sanctuary pyramids, straight roads, and canals. The Maya also invented
elastic a long time before the process of vulcanization, or rubber-making, was discovered. Other
innovations included the creation of immense underground repositories to store water during the
dry season.
Here are the 10 most noteworthy achievements of the ancient Maya civilization in different fields
such as space science, arithmetic, design, building, and writing:
10. Astronomy
The Maya studied the heavenly bodies and recorded information on the development of the sun,
the moon, Venus, and the stars. Despite the fact that there were just 365 days in the Haab year,
they knew that a year was slightly longer than 365 days, calculating it to be 365.2420 days (the
true approximation is 365.2422). This is more precise than the estimation of 365.2425 which is
used by the Gregorian calendar, meaning that the Maya calendar was more accurate than our
own. Maya astronomers worked out that 81 lunar months constituted 2,392 days. This puts the
length of the lunar month at 29.5308 days, astoundingly close to the modern estimation of
29.53059 days. They also worked out the 584-day cycle of Venus with a slight difference of only
two hours. The Maya studied Jupiter, Mars, and Mercury and recorded celestial information like
obscuration, or the path of one planet in front of the other. Maya astronomers were very accurate
and way ahead of their European counterparts.
9. Ball Courts
The Maya loved their games, and had ball courts in every city, much like present-day stadia. The
games were of extraordinary significance to the Maya and were frequently played during
religious celebrations, lasting for up to 20 days. The courts were situated at the foot of
sanctuaries to pay tribute to the gods and goddesses.
Ball courts were expansive, each with a stone hoop mounted on a divider at one side. The Maya
loved one particular game called pok-a-tok, or hotchpotch, the aim of which was to throw a
strong elastic ball through the hoop using just your hips, shoulders, or arms. The victors regularly
won the belongings of the losing side. The losing side, regularly made up of prisoners, was
relinquished for the sake of the Maya gods.
8. Chocolate
The ancient Maya were the first to discover the many uses of the cacao bean between 250 and
900 AD. They mixed the cacao bean with pepper and cornmeal to make a fiery chocolate drink.
Sugar was rare in those days, which was a blessing considering there was no dental care to speak
of. As a consequence, the Maya did not suffer from sugar-related conditions such as diabetes or
obesity. However, sugary modern-day chocolate and chocolate drinks can be traced back to the
Maya.
Cacao beans were also used as glue by being boiled and mixed with different bases, and were
even considered valuable enough to be used as currency.
7. Hallucinogenic Drugs
The Maya took great pride in their customs and traditions. Every occasion was feted in a grand
way, and people with special powers known as shamans conducted rituals for the gods. The
shamans took stimulating drugs to induce trance-like states during these rituals in order to make
contact with the spiritual world. These substances affected the body in such a way that pain was
not felt, and energy was increased. A number of these substances have subsequently been used as
pain relief in modern medicine.
6. Law and Order
In the Maya Empire, laws were standardized across every state and were applicable to all levels
of society. If someone broke the law, they would go to court where punishments were meted out
according to the crime. Victims of theft were personally involved in the process of justice.
Murder was uncommon because the punishment was so extreme. If you were found guilty of
murder, you would face execution and reparations from the victim’s family in terms of goods or
land. The families could be granted a house, goods, cattle, or land, which might leave the
perpetrator’s whole family with nowhere to live as a consequence of a guilty verdict.
5. Mathematics
The Maya had an extremely accurate numerical system. It had only three symbols: 0 (shell
shape), 1 (a dab) and 5 (a bar). They used these three symbols to express numbers from 0 to 19;
numbers after 19 were composed vertically in groups of 20, using place markers. The Maya,
therefore, used a base 20 or vigesimal numbering system. The use of place markers and 0 made
this system much the same as the one we use today. With the base-20 system, the second
position was worth 20 times more than the numeral, the third position had 202 or 400 times the
value, etc. The Maya likewise used shorthand to express extensive numbers like 2.4.1.9.9 where
the numbers 2, 4, 1, 9, and 9 are coefficients before forces of 20. Similarly fascinating is that the
Maya had built the concept of 0 into their numbering system by 36 BC.
While not primarily known for their advances in science, they did have a working knowledge of
it, and a large number of their dates and estimations are shockingly accurate.
4. Maya Art
While not an innovation in itself, Mayan art is widely applauded around the world. Maya art was
very modern in flavor. The Maya created artwork from a variety of materials including wood,
jade, obsidian, and earthenware, and decorated stone landmarks, stucco, and walls. Woodcuts
were common but only a few examples still survive. Stone sculptures are much more common
today, the most celebrated among them, from Copan and Quirigua, are remarkable for their
complexity of detail. The cities of Palenque and Yaxchilan are well known for their beautifully
decorated lintels including the famous Yaxchilan Lintel 24.
Maya steps were decorated with a variety of scenes such as the one found at Tonina. Zoomorphs
are large rocks sculpted in the shapes of animals such as those found Quirigua. The Maya had a
long tradition of wall painting, dating back to around 300 or 200 BC. Among the best-preserved
Maya wall paintings is a large-scale example at Bonampak. The Maya were also famous for their
flint sculptures which were incredibly difficult to make.
3. The Maya Calendar
The famous Mayan calendar was based on a date system used in Mesoamerican societies.
However, it was the Maya who standardized this system into a modern calendar. The Maya
calendar uses three distinctive dating frameworks: the Tzolkin (divine timetable), the Haab
(common calendar), and the Long Count. The Tzolkin joins a cycle of 20 named days with
another cycle of 13 numbers to deliver 260 distinct days. There are a few hypotheses for the 260-
day Tzolkin including it being founded on the human growth timeline, the agrarian system of the
district, and the positioning of the planet Venus. The Haab was the sun-based calendar with 365
days. It was made up of a year and a half with 20 days in each month, and five additional days
which were known as Wayeb and were considered to represent a dangerous time.
The Long Count was a non-repeating calendar starting from the beginning of the Mayan period.
It counted single days in a system of base 20 and base 18 to make the calendar match the
estimated 360 days of the year.
2. Mayan Writing System
Out of all the ancient Americans, the Maya invented the most advanced form of writing, known
as “glyphs.” Glyphs are used to describe or represent a word, sound or even a syllable through
pictures or symbols. History suggests that the Maya used around 700 different glyphs, and
astonishingly 80 percent of the language is still understood today.
The Maya were aware of their history and achievements, and so they wrote about them on
pillars, walls, and big stone slabs all the time. They also wrote books about almost everything
such as gods, daily life, their leaders and more. These books were made of bark and folded like a
fan. Unfortunately, many of the books were destroyed as they were assumed by the Spanish to
depict the devil and demons. Luckily, a few have survived.
The written word, known as the Maya script, is accepted to be the most comprehensive writing
system in Mesoamerica, and much Maya history was recorded in this way. Recent research has
shown that these engravings can be dated back to the third century BC. This would make the
Maya the creators of writing in Mesoamerica, and one of three known ancient civilizations where
writing grew autonomously, the others being China and Mesopotamia.
1. Rubber
The Maya had a strange yet effective approach to agriculture. This included the “slice-and-
consume system,” raised fields, terracing, concentrated crops, forestry, and fallow land. The
fundamental staples of the Mayan diet were maize, beans, and squashes. Crops also included
amaranth, bean stew peppers, sweet potatoes, manioc, tobacco, chaya, cotton, cacao, vanilla, and
of course latex.
Experts have found that the Maya knew how to make elastic quite some time before Charles
Goodyear, the tire giant, firmly established the material in the mid-19th century. Alongside other
Mesoamerican societies, the Maya made elastic from latex and mixed it with other plant
substances to make elastic items with various properties, including bouncy balls.
The Maya took the latex from trees and blended it with the juice from vines to make elastic. The
earliest use of elastic in Mesoamerica has been dated to 1600 BC, many centuries before
vulcanization was invented. The Maya, similar to other Mesoamerican societies, used bouncy
elastic balls to play their popular ball games.
Conclusion
The Maya still live in a broadly similar region to their ancestors, namely from the north in the
Yucatan down to Honduras. The idea that the Maya became extinct because their lands were
invaded and taken over is inaccurate, as evidenced by the more than six million Maya who still
cherish the customs and culture of their forebears. Despite the fact that the area was
Christianized in the 16th century AD, the old ways can still be seen in a mixture of European
Catholicism and Maya tradition which flourishes today.
