Components Of The Mayan Civilization

Mayan writing consists of symbols called glyphs which are hieroglyphics of an animal or sacred symbol. The following short list describes a few important Mayan symbols: Caban : This is used to represent the keeper of Earth which represents movement, transition and synchronisation. Jaguar : The Jaguar is the god of the underworld in the Mayan mythology and is used as the symbol of darkness and the night sun. It is seen as a representation of leadership, control and confidence. Eagle : The Mayan symbol of Eagle stands for protection, authority, control, and is considered the symbol of unity or cooperation.

Throughout the entire history of the earth, mankind has advanced from nomadic hunters and gatherers into the civilized people they are today. One region that played a profound impact on this development is Mesopotamia, the birthplace of civilization. Gilgamesh: A Verse Narrative, a literary work from the time period, reveals many things about the society that created it. The narrative recounts the tale of the first great hero of ancient Mesopotamia and through his encounters, the culture, religion and the Sumerians way of life is demonstrated. For instance, the relationship between humans and gods that resound throughout the narrative, gender divisions, civilization versus nature and lastly, how the Sumerians lived.

The Mayans, Incas, and Aztecs are all ancient civilizations. They have evolved and helped create what our society is today. They were all similar in some way which connects them. However, they have unique qualities that help them be remembered today. The Mayan worshipped a broad array of deities the Mayan religion was characterized by the worship of nature gods.

The Aztecs used and made platforms and tools that would help them make their temples better and better each time. 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).

In the 1500’s The Inca civilization ended in 1532 and their civilization started around 1438. The Aztec empire however, started in 1427 and ended in 1521. they both built amazing empires that are still recognized today. They believed in gods, they invented clever inventions, and created a lifestyle for the whole empire. In conclusion, these are the similarities between the Aztec and Inca empire. All empires and tribes have things that they will have in common but they all are different from each other.

The religious aspects of mayan culture is easily seen in the architecture of the great city as many stones are inscribed with messages describing or paying homage to their gods (the Maya had a written language). They also created upright stone slabs called “stelae” (pictured to the right on the page before) that bore commemorations, infact, “the oldest example of these stelae in Mesoamerica was discovered at Tikal and dates to 292 CE. It shows a ruler holding in his left hand the Jaguar God of the Underworld, probably a patron god of

However, upon closer inspection of the different glyphic elements shows that a number of scribes were involved in its production. The Codex is perhaps the work of as many as eight or nine scribes whom produced different sections of the manuscript. The religious content of the codex makes it likely that the scribes themselves were members of the priesthood or somehow related to the Maya clergy. It is likely that the codex was passed down from priest to priest and each priest that received the book added a section to it in their own hand. Further adding to the knowledge within the book.

The right-handed twin, also known as the “Master of Life”, becomes the sun (40). In the Kiowa legend, the seven sisters transfigure into the seven stars of the Big Dipper constellation. On the contrary, the Iroquois and the Kiowa treat gods differently. The gods in “The World on the Turtle’s Back” play a central role to the story whereas in the story from The Way to Rainy Mountain, gods are

Many of the people of this area believe that jaguars brought them the knowledge of bows and arrows, fire, and cooked meat. It is also believed that the shamans could turn into jaguars, and that jaguars were related to fertility, the earth, and royalty. The calendar stone was used to justify sacrifice and war. It also showed that they needed to use human blood for sacrifice, as it contained a special essence. The stone also had four boxed figures which represented the four previous suns.

The Olmec have built their cities upon high areas surrounded by swampy landscapes, which were centered by artificial pyramid-mountains serving as temples. Every Olmec site had its own channeled water system, providing plants with water for agricultural purposes (Mann 18-19). Although details are not clear and based on numerous hypotheses, several discoveries and findings have attested that the Olmec have had a significant influence on the political and social development of subsequent civilizations in Mesoamerica. By way of example, the Mayan are known to have inherited various elements of the Olmec´s enriched culture and worldview (McNeill and McNeill 110). Furthermore, similarities between the raised gardening fields in the Andean high plains, called “Altiplanos” and the Olmec´s “distinctive technique for intensifying agricultural output” (McNeill and McNeill 110)have been discovered, which may demonstrate the influence and spread of the Olmec´s intensive wetland agricultural practices.

In this section, Coe describes the Mayan beliefs of spiritual beings, and what happens during the time in the afterlife(218). The underworld also called Xibalba translated to “place of fright” which is a place that is multi-layered with nine levels. This corresponds to the afterlife gods “ Lords of the Night” (218). Xivabva is where many Maya souls are believed to go after death, and the holiest and purest souls travel past this area to ascend to the sun and moon (similar to our the belief of heaven). Therefore during death, a person 's spirit will travel to this area, and perhaps travel beyond, little information is provided on this process.

Each level throughout society had their own rituals and deities whom played their part in the larger ritual communities. An example would be the class of Pochteca