Mayan History

The Mayas.

The Mayas population was so large because they had older people from the classic period. The Maya culture was the importance of urban centers and the religious life of the Mayas. The Mayas were never a true urban culture therfore the decline of the urban centers after 900 AD and it did not involve a social change or a religious change. The classic began a period of new creativity to the Mayan. Much of the mayan culture is still used by Native Americans who live in Guatemala and Honduras.

Maya culture came from three regions in Mesoamerica. Meso america was about sixty mileslong and twenty miles wide of rain forest. The urbanization extended south to Honduras and the south mayan city called Copan. Most all the urban centers were built in tropical rain forest. The priestly claas would carry out daily religious duties particularly sacrifices.

The Mayas had a hard time growing their crops because their soil was unfertile so they cut down trees and burn them and plants and put in the soil to make their crops grow they also used animal feces and dead plants to nurnish the soil. The main food Mayas was maize and maize production was the main way to make money .

The Mayans had several strata: rulers ,priests, commoners and slaves. At the top of the hierarchy was the Halach uinic . Mayas had a sense of physical beauty. They like backward sloping foreheads. So they would hit babies in the boards. They also liked crossed eyed people. So they would hang things in