The ancient Mayans, who lived in parts of present-day Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, created one of the most complex and advanced civilizations in the Western Hemisphere. The Mayans accomplished many remarkable and influential achievements, most notably, in art, astronomy, and engineering. The achievements of the Mayans influenced the cultures around them and are still influential today. The Mayans created amazingly sophisticated works of art. The art of the Mayans has been called the richest in the New World because of the great complexity of the patterns and variety of the media used. Mayan art had a distinctive style that was influenced by the Olmec civilization. Mayan art forms included painting on paper and plaster, carvings in wood and stone, clay and stucco models, and terra cotta figurines from molds. The Mayans are well known for their use of stucco, jade, and obsidian. Maya buildings were adorned with carved friezes and roof combs in stone and stucco. The Mayans painted colorful murals depicting gods and other mythological figures on the walls of their houses. Mayan ceramics were made in a wide variety of forms and decorated with complicated scenes. The Mayans also designed artwork from flint, bone and shell, and made decorated cotton textiles. The Mayans were …show more content…
Mayan art influences some modern graphic designs. Also, a misinterpretation of the Mayan calendars caused many people to believe that the world would end on December 21, 2012. Mayan architecture is a major touristic attraction today. The ancient Mayan civilization influenced modern society in another way, too. They invented hot chocolate, which is still a popular drink today. The English word 'chocolate' comes from the Mayan word for chocolate, 'xocolatl'. The ancient Mayans excelled in the areas of art, astronomy and engineering, and their achievements are still influential
Over a thousand years ago in the Mesoamerica region the culture that we know as Maya thrived. They had an amazement and intrigued fascination over the technical mastery of their intellectual studies. The Mayan’s history is rich with remarkable human achievements, as well as stories. Some of their most recognizable masterpieces are the Mayan trade network, building Cities, the Mayan number system, and the Mayan calendar.
List and describe the achievements of the Maya during the Preclassic and Classic periods. The Mayans were responsible for the scientific achievements in astronomy, agriculture, engineering and communications. 8. By the Classic Maya a distinct social system had developed in the numerous Maya kingdoms. Tell about the social divisions and how these divisions impacted the lives of the Maya people.
The Maya civilization flourished in Mesoamerica, a region that includes the current territories of Southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, and western Honduras. It is divided in three periods: Pre-Classic (2,000 B.C.), Classic (250-900 A.D.), and Post-Classic (900-1500 A.D.). Of these periods, the Classic is the most well-known and the one where the Maya reached the apotheosis. It witnessed the peak of large-scale construction and urbanism, the recording of monumental inscriptions, and a period of significant intellectual and artistic development. See MICHAEL D. COE, THE MAYA (6th ed.1999).
The Maya and Cherokee colonialism is the “policy or practice of acquiring full, or partial political control over another country, occupying it with settlers, and exploiting it economically.” Both the Maya and Cherokee indigenous people had similar colonial experience involving different wars, and disease of their lands. The Maya colonial period was from 1520’s-1821. The civilization occupied a wide territory that included southeastern Mexico and northern Central America, and all of the territory now incorporated into the modern countries of Guatemala and Belize, as well as the western portions of Honduras and El Salvador.
One of the greatest and most advanced early civilizations is argued to be the Aztecs. From the 12th century to the 15th, the Aztecs had many achievements that are still very significant in today’s society. The Aztec empire was truly a spectacular civilization that to this day is still not completely understood. The people who became part of the great empire were originally nomads whose main focus was to hunt and gather. As their civilization began to expand they had to adapt to an agricultural lifestyle.
Even if the Mayans also made temples, it was more extraordinary to see how the Aztecs had absolutely nothing but were able to work with what they had. At the same time, the Aztec had an advanced system for writing and keeping records. The Aztecs used hieroglyphics just like Egyptians, but there 's were a little different. Aztecs writing, “...had three primary functions, namely to mark calendrical dates, to record accounting mathematical calculations, and to write names of people and places”(Lawrence Lo, 2012). This was different than everybody else 's writing because they didn 't have an actual alphabet.
The Mayan buildings still affect us today. In fact, some of the Mayan temples are still visited
Finally, Math's and science are also one of the achievements the Maya's accomplished. The importance of science and calendar calculations in Mayan society required mathematics and the Maya constructed quite early a very advanced number system. The Maya produced a vast array of structures, and have left an extensive architectural legacy. " Based on its architectural remains, Maya civilization ranks as in of the great preindustrial cultures of the world. "(Document
According to Document E: The Mayan Number System, the Mayans created the mathematics that people use today. This is showing how Mayans are very intelligent. They not only created a language, but they created a math system that people use 4,000 years in the future. Secondly, according to Document F: The Mayan Calendar, the
During the Classical Period, the timeline that stretched between 250 A.D. to 900 A.D., the Mayans were a civilization filled with success and abundance. Located in Central America, mainly around the Yucatan Peninsula, the Mayans built complex cities large enough to house millions of people during a pre-industrial age. They also developed a number of trade networks that allowed them to connect regions one at a time to exchange goods and luxuries. Moreover, they created the idea of zero, their base-20 number system, and many calendars. The Mayans were undoubtedly one of the most progressive pre-industrial civilizations, creating revolutionary inventions and executing considerable feats that assisted their daily lives.
It was one of the first civilizations to engage in and produce significant achievement in astronomy, engineering and agriculture. For instance, they built a pyramid at Chichen Itza, present day Mexico, similar to those in Egypt. Here, they would observe the movement of the stars, sun, moon and planets. Their interest in astronomy led to their innovation of the Mayan Calendar. Moreover, they built these pyramids in order to get closer to the Gods.
The ancient Maya civilization of Mesoamerica had a complex and sophisticated economy that supported their society for over a thousand years. The economy was primarily based on agriculture, with maize as the most important crop. The Maya also traded extensively in a variety of goods such as salt, obsidian, jade, and cacao beans, which were used as a form of currency. The Maya had an intricate system of trade routes that connected their cities and allowed for the exchange of goods over long distances. They also had a complex system of taxation, with tribute paid in the form of goods or labor.
They’re strong warriors that would fight against the Spanish conquest; however their civilization had been in decline before the start of the Spanish arrival. There Mayan Empire was already crumbling and divided which made it easier for the Spanish conquest to take over the Mayan territories. I believe that the Spanish conquest was quite effective because they achieve their goal of establishing territorial gains. The Spanish also demolished one of earliest civilization in history.
They were located on the Yucatan Peninsula, which is today’s eastern Mexico. In addition, the Mayans lived there from 300 CE to 900 CE. Most Mayan cities had populations of about 10,000 people but their major city Tikal had over 70,000 people. The Mayans was known for building temples, pyramids, studying astronomy, mathematics, and creating a complex writing system. In addition, they were outstanding sculptors in stone, stucco and wood, they were also prodigious painters of murals and pottery.
In conclusion, the Egyptians and Mayans both impacted this world in major ways, but were impacted themselves by the land they lived