...End of Mayan Civilization Samuel Nathaniel H. Stansbury HUM 111 11/3/2012 The mystery concerning the fundamental explanation for the collapse of the Mayan Civilization has been a major focus for researchers in the fields of anthropology and archeology for a considerable period of time. At the very core of this mystery of the Mayan collapse was the question of how could such a strong, stable civilization that had flourished for approximately twenty-seven hundred years disappear without a clear, rational explanation. As a result, researchers have put forth a large number of theories for the explanation of the collapse and subsequent decimation of the Mayan empire. Although it would be convenient or simple to put forth a theory concerning only one reasonable or rational factor explaining the collapse of the Mayan civilization, this would be both insufficient and impossible from a strictly theoretical standpoint. For example, Henry M. Sayre argues that by 900 A. D. (900 CE), Mayan civilization had been decimated as a result of not just one single factor, but, rather, as a result of a number of equally important factors. These factors included overpopulation and accompanying ecological degradation, political competition, and warfare (Sayre, 2012, p.392). Once again, it is essential to clearly articulate the fact that it is theoretically impossible to put forth only one single underlying factor in a theory offering a coherent explanation for the collapse of the Mayan civilization...
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...The Mystery behind the End of Mayan Civilization World Cultures I Mayan Mystery Civilizations all over, rose to become strong, powerful nations and descended due to many reasons. One civilization in particular, is the Mayans. The Mayan Empire began around 1800 B.C and lasted until around 900 A.D. Located in tropical environments, in what is now known as the Yucatan Peninsula, Guatemala, Belize and parts of México. The Mayan people were known for their advance levels of mathematics, astronomy, and they develop a calendar system based on 365 days that we use in present day. The Mayan people also created many elaborate cities with stoned pyramids that partially remain intact today. How can a great nation, who developed a complex system, and flourish for many centuries, just disappear; leaving many questions unanswered? What happened to the Mayans? This is one mystery that has many people asking questions about what happened to a large number of people without wondering if this could ever happen again. Two theories that could explain what happened to the Mayan people are: drought and climate changes lead to the demised of the Mayan culture, and/or warfare from neighboring cities or foreign invaders caused the Mayans to become extinct. Scientist Martin Medina-Elizalde and Eelco Rohling believe that the climate changes affected the rainfall causing droughts. Many others believe that invaders from other countries or cities over powered the Mayans. Climate changes If invaders...
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...The first civilization of the Mesoamerica era was the Mayans, also making them one of the most ancient. The Mayans were a highly intellectual civilization, having knowledge in areas such as writing and literacy, mathematics, and astronomy. A big part of their lifestyle was religion. The Mayan art has been known to be richest of the new world having “great complexity of patterns and a variety of media expressions”. The Mayan civilization left an impressive history to study. Developing the only known fully written language of the pre-Columbus time goes to showed the skills of the Mayans. In addition, inscriptions showed their complex problem solving techniques in math, holding the civilization as the developers of the idea of zero. The first known scientist where among these people. One of the Mayan’s greatest accomplishments was there astronomy work with the calendar. They timed the earth’s orbit around the sun accurately, and created an accurate calendar. Art is an important part of how people study the Mayan lifestyle and culture. Their artwork is very spiritual, showing how religious they were. Also out of the Art, their architectures can be recognized as their most memorable artwork. Another great accomplishment of theirs are their structures that still stand for people around the world to admire. The Mayans dedicated their life to their gods. Although they are intelligent and hard workers, they had war-like rage. This independent city-state culture were constantly at war...
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...Farming's Impact on the Rise and Fall of the Mayan Empire History is an ever-changing concept. The world as we know it has not always been the way we know it to be, and with each new discovery a different connection/story line is revealed. One of the greatest mysteries of ancient history is the fall of the Mayan Civilization. The Mayan's are thought to be one of the most technologically advanced and successful civilizations of our world's early and most primitive times, but as quick as they conquered they vanished. There are many different theories as to what caused the Mayan's to fall and disappear however, the theory that seems to have the most support is that the one thing that allowed them to be most successful also doomed them in their final days... farming. The Mayan Civilization grew so rapidly due to their advanced agricultural techniques, their ability to develop and perfect these techniques based on their need to produce more food for their growing needs, however ultimately these farming methods failed them leaving their enormous civilization dependant on food THEY farmed hungry and forced to move on or die out. To start, the Mayan's weren't a very large nation nor did they have very usable land to be able to farm on. They were located in Mesoamerica in the center of many wetlands and hills/mountains, however they did not let these hindrances stop them, instead, they used their unique habitat, and developed new ways of farming that proved to be VERY successful...
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...to the mayan civilization before , their culture, their beliefs, how they find the source of their food and how they interact with one another. The film is the evidence of Gibson’s craft. His imagination is not simply moronic. It is like, if you do not know a small background of the mayans you will tell that the movie is just a simple movie that is created just because they want to know how the ancient people lived before. The best scene in the movie is how the people before respect their elderly and their tribe captain. None of the villagers harbour larger ambitions. They are contented , simple, one feels they would go on as they are till the end of time. They also believe in the sacrificial ritual wherein they offer a large number of people just to satisfy their religious beliefs. The arrival of the conquistadores and Christian missionaries at the film's climax completes this vision of Mayan civilization. As I have read before about the background of the Mayan civilization, there were some historical errors in the movie. First are the mayan cities and the Spanish conquistadores. Mayan cities have been abandoned for more than five hundred years before the Spanish arrived in Mesoamerica.Second is the eclipse. As far as I know, mayans have this tremendous astronomical knowledge and would not be confused by an single eclipse. The evidence for that is the one of the controversial film in our time “2012” or also known as the 12-12-12. The movie tells us that the mayan predicted...
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...What Happened To the Mayans? Michelle Boseman Professor Sisson Humanities 111 Many historians have questioned “how” or “why” the Mayan civilization disappeared after the 10th century; however there is no definitive answer to this question. One possible theory is the Mayan’s population and heavy environmental consumption may have lead to deforestation and soil exhaustion grew to such an extent that they deforested so much of the region thereby forcing the Mayan people to immigrate to other regions, this theory has some scientific background, and scientists have used satellites to study the topsoil of Central America. Scientist have found that right before the civilization collapse, the sediment had changed from tree pollen to weed pollen, suggesting there were no more trees in the area. The result of a treeless environment is the erosion of fertile topsoil, warmer climate, and a possible reduction of precipitation. Since the Mayans depended on water reservoirs from precipitation, this would have had a detrimental effect. Initially the Mayan civilization prospered throughout the lowlands. From 300 B.C. to 900 A.D. the Mayans developed a relatively productive agriculture-based economy based on the surrounding terrains, which lead to expansions in population. Mayan agriculture suffered from various limitations, which made their level of stability somewhat fragile. The Mayans relied heavily upon a narrow range of crops including corn, which made up 70% of their diet,...
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...the sculptures they see and the images they capture with their eyes. Taking a vacation can change one’s life for some people as it did for Kerr and Barbara. The pre-Columbian Americas and the Classic Maya civilization dominated their lives. Good spirits drove them to Yucatan because when they arrived, they could not take their eyes off of all the beautiful sculptures they witnessed. Items such as carved skulls, snakes, warriors, and glyphs changed their lives towards a whole new path. When I think of photographing archaeological material, people looking at these images may think that they are boring. As for Kerr, he realized this and imputed life into his images. There is a bigger meaning to pictures than just trying to make it look nice, there is beauty, devotion, and emotion. After reading this article, I see that there are many small details to create a great image, such as the lighting and the fabric. Kerr has created a great reputation for himself and many people see Kerr as their idol. The first thing I thought of Maya Civilization was that there were many details we did not know about them but after reading this article, I can acknowledge the fact that the Maya society is much more complex than a majority of people can imagine. The artifacts of the Mayans displayed grave detail about how they lived, their...
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...Pre-Columbian peoples of the Mesoamerican area are a population that has since fascinated historians and archaeologists to this day. Exploration and investigation has brought to light the great advancements these civilizations made in the areas of art, technology, and even astronomy. By means of examining and analyzing the remains, the massive structures and artifacts left behind by the early people of these civilizations, we have come to know of their rich culture and traditions. One group that we know a great deal of, the Classic Maya, exhibited a culture that was not only sophisticated and ahead of its time, but also one of great art and rituals. What was of great significance to these people was the Mayan Ballgame. The ballgame will be analyzed throughout this text, signifying its importance to the Mayan culture as evidenced in various articles and how these articles contribute to our understanding of these people. Though these written articles differ in some aspects they are all effective in advancing our knowledge of Mayan history and civilization because collectively they communicate how the ballgame taught Mayan values and proper behavior, was crucial in Mayan ritual and civilization, and how it was used as an interaction with other civilizations. How was this Mayan ballgame played? All the information historians have on the ballgame derived from visiting the actual sites in Mesoamerica where these games were played and the interpretation of various glyphs depicting...
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...Peru, Ecuador, and into Southern Columbia. Their capital was Cuzco. The Inca civilization was in the highlands of Peru. The Aztecs were located in Mexico. The Aztec Empire was based in the Valley of Mexico, a high elevated valley in the mountains of Central Mexico. Tenochtitlan was the Aztec city and the capital. It had canals and causeways that supplied hundreds of thousands of people who lived there. The Mayans lived in Mexico and Central America. The Palenque was once known as the red city, because the buildings were all painted red. The Maya capital...
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...The Mayans, Aztecs, and Incas all were different tribes that lived at different periods, in different locations, and they had different capitals for each civilization. The Mayan lived in parts of present-day southern Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. The Mayan lived between the 1000 BC to the 1542. The Mayan capital was Tikal but also there were also different capitals for each Mayan city. The Aztecs were located in now day Mexico. They also had the Great Valley. They lived between the 12 century AD to 15th century AD. Their capital was Tenochtitlan. The Inca’s were located in Peru. They lived between 1438 AD to 1532 AD. Their capital was Cuzco. The Inca empire was stretched out 2,000 miles from the north to the south. The Mayas economy was different and the same with the other tribes. They traded with many of the Mesoamerican cultures. The farmers transported their cocoa beans to the market in canoe or in large baskets. They had 3 ways of farming that were all good. The first one was the Slash and Burn farming, in this farming they burned down forests to get land to plant. This was a good way of farming but it also had its consequences....
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...capitals for each civilization. You must compare and contrast at least three of the following five topics ( Economy, Religion, Social System, Government, Technology). You will also describe the end of each civilization and it contributions. INTRO The Maya, Inca, and Aztec all have different things in common.The comparisons and differences about the 3 different groups. The comparisons and differences that will be throughout the essay is the Economy,technology and lastly government. Economy First the differences for the Maya is that they had their own prized possession. The possession that the Mayans traded was called Jade, they also carved humans (like gods and animals).The gods helped the Maya trade. Jade was a rare gemstone. The Maya traded goods with people living to the South for jade. Also The economy was based on trade. They participated in long distant trade. Wealthy merchants traveled further. What the Aztecs difference is that they fished a lot more than the other two groups. They fished for abundant crayfish. Lastly...
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...Could you imagine the whole United States just disappearing? That is what happened to the Mayans. In a time span of only one hundred years the whole Maya population was wiped out, there are several theories about what the cause for this decline was. What anthropologists do know for sure is that the Mayans were an ancient mesoamerican civilization dating back to 250 B.C “made up of more than 19 million people”(smithsonian.com). Their empire centered in the tropical lowlands of what is now Guatemala. The Maya people reached their peak of power around the 6th century A.D. The Mayans were successful in many ways; History.com, a website dedicated to informing the public about important historical information, states, “The Maya excelled at agriculture,...
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...across the Northern Ecuador to the Central Chile, spanning some 3,500 kilometers in distance. Their skilld in governmebt matched their feat in engineering. They constructed roads, walls, irrigation system which is still being utilized in our society today. In 1532 the Spanish conquerors captured the Inca empires and it began to crumble. The Incas came out of conflicts between a number of competing communities in Southern Peru and Bolivia. It was the help of the military that caused success against the Chanca. This caused the Inca to believe they were under the protection of the sun God, Inti. Inti was known for being the emperor who was an earthly manifestation. The Incas thought they were on an all-powerful assignment to bring the civilization to those they had defeated. They inhabited some of the world’s arid dessert. Close by were the flat coastal lands and the jagged peaks of the Andes Mountain. The natives lived under the rule of one man, the emperor they called “Chief Lnca,” “Son of the Sun,” “or “Lover of the Poor.” They were the largest empire in the pre-Columbian America. The bureaucratic, legislative and military were the innermost of the empire. The language spoken by the Incas was Quichua or Quechua tongue. This language was spoken in only a minute area around Cuzco. This is where Inca dynasty started. ARAWAK The Arawak are a group of...
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...How did civilizations prior to 1600 obtain, consolidate and maintain power in Africa and the Americas? Africa, is the third continent by its extension after Asia and America located between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. On the other hand this America is the second largest continent of the earth and extends from the Arctic Ocean to the islands of Diego Ramirez. It is possible to be said that these two continents had enough to see in the creation of the Maya empire, Azteca and Inca, since in specific places of these lands they themselves developed their civilizations. The Mayan Empire, a civilization developed by the Mayan peoples, was developed between the years 250 and 900AD in Mexico in the Yucatan Peninsula. The Maya were very skilled...
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...1 Running head: MAYAN CULTURE The Mayan Culture By Lydia Ross 2 MAYAN CULTURE Table of Contents The Mayan Background The Mayan Calendar The Mayan Mathematics The Mayan Architecture Modern Day Mayan The Mayan Prophesy of 2012 References 3 4 6 8 11 12 14 3 MAYAN CULTURE The Mayan Background The Mayan Calendar has been used to predict the end of the world. The reason for this is that the calendar ends on December, 21, 2012. Many scholars and historians have argued that there will be some type of cosmic event signaling the end of the world on December, 21, 2012. Other scholars who oppose this opinion say that it is not the end of the world but the end of an era. They predict not apocalypse but an era of bliss. In this era man will live peacefully with one another without strife. For clarity about the calendar and its intentions, a review of the Mayan people is needed. The Mayan culture came into existence around 300-400 AD. It is believed that it is a culture that is somewhat a derivative of the Olmec civilization. The Olmecs were an ancient Central American Indian tribe. The Maya seemed to appear among the Olmecs and soon took over the entire Yucatan Peninsula of Central America. The Mayan people were known for their sophisticated mathematics 1 as well as for being master builders. Their cities were beautifully built and connected by highways and streets made from tools of wood, ivory and stone. There was also a ball court built 2 in every city...
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