Research Paper on Mayan Civilization
The Maya
Introduction
All remnants of the distant past are romantic, but ancient Maya civilization has a special
fascination. It is a “lost” civilization, whose secrets lie deep in the mysterious tropical
forest. The style of Maya architecture and sculpture seems alien and bizarre.
The breathtaking splendor of ornate cites, the beautifully constructed grand temples, and
the ingeniously developed and advanced caledretics, mathematics, and astronomy easily
mark one of the most interesting and prosperous periods in Latin American history. Over
period spanning approximately six centuries, the Maya of Central America reached artistic
and intellectual heights that no other group in the New World had seen or imagined
possible.
This period in Mayan culture is believed to be a time of relative peace and tranquility, the
ultimate decline of their society is still a great mystery and the cause remains speculative
in the minds of many archeologists and anthropologists.
I order to categorize Mayan cultural development, most scientists divide Mayan
civilization into three distinct periods: Pre-classic, Classic, and Post-classic. The
Pre-Classic period is the birth of the Mayan civilization. It is shrouded in mystery, as
researchers have a myriad of opinions on where the Mayan people originally migrated
from. The first theories were that the Maya were either one of the Lost tribes of Israel or
descendants of the lost city of Atlantis. Unfortunately, the most historians can agree on is
that the Maya migrated across the Bering Strait from some part of Europe or Asia.
In establishing their means of existence, the Maya utilized a system of agriculture and
were primarily farmers rather than hunters. Their primary crops consisted of maize (which
they considered to be the staff of life), beans, squash, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, cotton, and
tobacco; the later they grew for export to Europe.
As the Maya became established in the processes of day-to-day living, the Classic period,
which encompassed the period of A.D. 300″€“900, was born. This period is marked by
rapid growth in which the Mayans erected their highest and most handsome temples, built
their largest and most ornate cities and achieved success in their intellectual endeavors.
Research on this period provides the principle source of insight into the Mayan people: the
hierarchy of their society, their success and intellectual pursuits, and the origin of their
religion.
Even though some anthropologists disagree on the number of classes into which Mayan
society was divided, most will agree that nobility and priests comprised what was
considered to be the Mayan aristocracy who monopolized all positions of authority and is
believed to have been the center of the Mayan government.
The Maya created their civilization in the area that is now present day Guatemala, South
Mexico, Honduras, Belize and Yucatan. Although, the civilization lasted for a very long
time, it quickly fell with the coming of the Europeans.
Political and Social Organization
Maya civilization was not a united one, in the sense that it did not all exist in one
geographical location nor did the different locations all respect one homogeneous ruling
authority. In fact, the Mayan society consisted of a number of different city states. These
city states consisted of many citizens with a social organization that relied on group
associations. This meant that social groups were created within the society and each
different group was allocated rights and responsibilities. Therefore, by belonging to a
particular group the individual in Mayan society was allowed to enjoy different rights
within society. Additionally, the city states themselves, existed with a large degree of
political independence of each other. The result of this political independence was a
powerful central authority, not created within the Mayan empire. This meant that there was
no one capital for the entire empire. As a direct consequence of this, therefore, it was not
uncommon for adjacent Mayan city states to be engaged in warfare among themselves as
each strove for dominance over its neighbor. Mayan city states like Tikal were not only
population centers but also served the function of autonomous political and religious
centers for the citizens who lived there. The Mayan political structure was based on the
establishment of many different political centers consisting of city states. These city states
collectively represented Mayan society, but each spoke their own peculiar Mayan dialect.
The city states consisted of numerous citizens but these citizens were not all equal. Indeed,
one characteristic of Maya society was the hierarchical nature of its social organization.
This meant that, at different levels in the society, people would be treated according to
their status. This difference in social treatment automatically meant that some citizens
enjoyed a better standard of living with more of the amenities of life than others. It also
meant that at the bottom of this graded social pyramid were the agricultural farmers and
foot soldiers of the empire flourished. By virtue of being at the bottom of the social
pyramid their training and skills consisted largely of the social functions that they
performed. Hence, they were not literate and concerned themselves largely with issues of
agriculture and the basics of following orders in warfare.
Above the primary agriculturalists and soldiers were the skilled artisans, who functioned
within Mayan society not only to produce functional artifacts and buildings but also
labored at producing elegantly crafted artworks and cultural symbols that enriched Mayan
culture and everyday life. These skilled craftsmen were a class above the ordinary
agricultural workers and soldiers and their jobs represented the changing of the various
classes as one progressed up the Mayan social standing. The rise of merchants during the
