Study Guide

Mayan Study Guide

Myths

There are many stories circulating the Mayans about a troublesome Trickster Rabbit who goes around and brings bad luck.

The Jaguar, Skunk, and Possum are three characters in a major myth of the Mayan culture where the threesome try to imitate their godfather.

The coyote and the hen is the Mayan version of The fox and the bird.

The Mayans also supposedly explain in a myth how hummingbirds get their colors.

Religion

The Maya are native Meso-American people who developed one of the most sophisticated cultures in the Western Hemisphere before the arrival of the Spanish. Mayan religion was characterized by the worship of nature gods (especially the gods of sun, rain, and corn), a priestly class, the importance of astronomy and astrology, rituals of human sacrifice, and the building of elaborate pyramidal temples.

Gods
Zamn is the lord of the heavens and night and day.
Chac is the lord of the rain and by association, the weather and fertility.
Ah Mun is the corn god and god of agriculture.
Ah Puch is the god of death and ruled over the lowest underworlds.
Ek Chuah is the god of war, sacrifice and violent death.
Acan is the god of wine.
Ix- Chel is the moon goddess of midwifery, fertility and medicine.
Xaman Ek is the god of travelers.

Architecture

The Mayans produced a remarkable ceremonial architecture that still inspires awe today. The ceremonial centers usually consisted of pyramidal mounds with temples or other buildings on top. These structures were grouped together around an open plaza. The core of the structures was built of stone rubble and lime concrete. The exterior facade was faced with finished limestone blocks or stucco. Carved wood was used for door lintels. A corbel-like vault was developed that required very heavy walls and narrow interior spaces. Windows, if present at all, were very small. Both the interior and exterior walls were colorfully painted. Many of structures acted as astronomical markers to track the movement of the heavenly bodies.

Math

The Mayans invented the 360 day calender in course to their rituals and harvest schedules. They also made a new numbering system which consisted of lines and dots. Their placement represented the mathematical operations.

Literature

The Madrid Codex

Origins

The Maya are an indigenous people of Mexico and Central America who have continuously inhabited the lands comprising modern-day Yucatan, Quintana Roo, Campeche, Tabasco, and Chiapas in Mexico and southward through Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador and Honduras.

Astronomy

 In the Mesoamerican culture, the practice of astronomy was extremely important. To the Maya of Mesoamerica, this ancient science reflected order in the universe and the gods' place in it. This order reflected an inherent harmony present in their general theological view of the universe. To the Mayans, capturing the essence of time was of the utmost importance. In their cosmology, space and time were inevitably intertwined, as is evidenced by their complex calendar system that combines spatial attributes of the universe, such as animals and plants, with temporal movements of astronomical objects. Although the Mayans never invented water clocks or other specific time-keeping devices, they used the sky as a method of measuring the passage of time.

The Mayans believed that celestial events were indicative of communication with the gods. Specific astronomical objects represented certain deities, whose divine lives were portrayed in the daily, monthly, and yearly changes in their appearance. The religious aspect of astronomy was also taken one step further: to astrology. The movement of constellations and other objects across the sky represented a connection between celestial events and human affairs. In other words, the practice of astronomy- in the form of astrology- was believed to have an influence on every Mayan.