The Mayans’ greatest achievement was neither developing a calendar, nor establishing a complex trade system- but rather, the building of their gigantic cities. But what defines excellency? The answer can be categorized into four sections: significance, scale, genius, and effort. The ancient Mayan civilization thrived in isolation, and it wasn’t until recently that we began to truly appreciate their culture and accomplishments. However, it was their enormous strain many years ago that today results in buildings towering over 130 feet in height. This motivation that drove the mayans nearly 4,000 years ago also produced a variety of remarkable ideas and concepts, many of which we use today. One such example is the Mayan Calendar. The Mayans developed …show more content…
The Mayans lived in the land between Columbia and the Southern United States, and there were no civilizations to aid them if they ran short of supplies. Therefore, the Mayans had to develop an intricate trade network to satisfy their materialistic needs. The Mayans had no animals to carry the supplies for them, so workers would drag loads of up to 150 pounds for 10 hours every day to transport them to other Mayan cities. (Doc A) This required lots of effort, because though humans are extremely adaptable, it takes a lot of practice and hardship to be able to carry that much weight without completely exhausting the …show more content…
The Mayans were people with no central government, and yet individuals worked hard to complete buildings for the whole community. The citizens of Mayan cities followed orders from higher political powers, which organized the work and maintenance of these places. (Doc B) The effort put into building these cities must have been unimaginable. The Mayans worked hard to construct many places without the luxury of having a previously established government and system to command over the people. Another reason why the Mayan cities were great is the amount of them discovered- Today, over 2,500 cities have been found, and all of them were built by people who worked with little rest to complete each building in 2-3 months. (Doc B) This shows the scale of this achievement- building all these temples and homes must have taken a large amount of time. The Mayans were also very intelligent people. Their architectural planning was highly advanced, and their buildings were mathematically sound. This means that the Mayan civilization was also very advanced. (Doc B) This genius thinking behind these buildings is what made the Mayans great. It is hard to imagine an average person today thinking outside of the box to create masterpieces like the Mayan buildings. The Mayan buildings still affect us today. In fact, some of the Mayan temples are still visited
To stick to religion, they cut and pierced themselves. The Mayans also lasted longer than both the Incas and the Aztecs. The Mayans had the best civilization because they had an excellent social system that included nobles, commoners, serfs, and slaves.
The Mayan Trade network was a series of trade routes that led the Mayan to success. The Mayans had nothing to help them with their burden other than their hands or a boat. The porters carried goods for 10 hours per day at a speed of a maximum of 3 miles per hours. Rotating relay teams were a benefit for porters carrying heavy loads. Their loads varied between 80 and 150 pounds.
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.
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.
The Mayans were just one of several civilizations in Mesoamerica that accomplished many achievements. They had one of the greatest pre-industrial architectural cultures, started a trade network, formed a number system and were one of the first to use the number zero, and created a calendar based off what they saw. The trade network was significant as it allowed the Mayan tribes to trade for necessities, such as salt and cacao, and helped spread their culture (Doc A). The remains of the strong buildings built by the Mayans proved they were one of the “greatest preindustrial cultures of the world” in their time (Doc B). The accuracy and time measurements of their calendars were better than any other, and allowed them to predict the weather and
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.
Maya architecture also incorporates various art forms and hieroglyphic texts. Along with their great architecture, trade was a key component of the Maya
Their trade network covered thousands of square miles and allowed them to trade commodities, luxuries, and much more. They also put ample amounts of effort into creating the trade routes, and carrying the goods. The Mayan city architecture took considerable time and effort, and additionally required intelligence. As they were in a period of pre-industrialism, the Mayans needed to utilize manpower instead of advanced technology. Hence, they required a powerful political system to order a large workforce to construct the complex structures.
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.
Everything was perfectly planned out. As the calendar says, they have to sacrifice one of their own to please the Gods. The Mayan people would get together as a whole to practice their religious ceremony at the temple. The Mayan and Aztec civilizations are two ancient civilizations that were located near Central and South America. The Mayan civilization was more remarkable than the Aztecs because of their advanced knowledge.
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.
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.
As a civilization in the jungle, the Maya are well known for their architecture, art, monumental sculptures, and calendars. The Mayan religious, ritualistic culture is developed and maintained in conjunction of the native people, as well as a communication and ties to the earth and sky. Understanding the Maya people and their religion is similar to understanding the geographical location of the people, and therefore their life source. There is great importance within the items that surrounded them geographically. Products or resources that sustained them as a community, or maintained their health and wellbeing, also created foundations for their religious belief system.
Most Maya buildings had wooden lintels over the doorways. I believe that it was impressive for them to create art with no metal tools or technology. Therefore, they used their skills and
With both civilizations being developed around 3500 BC, there are many similarities and differences between the Egyptians and the Mayans. The Egyptians developed their empire in Northeast Africa, which affected the way they farmed and built their cities. The Mayans developed their civilization in MesoAmerica, which influenced their culture differently from the Egyptians. The farming techniques, architecture, and religion were all influenced by the environment they lived in.