The Maya where a very unique empire that had many achievements. Below i will tell you about the life and culture the Maya once had.
HISTORY
GEOGRAPHY
Economy
SOCIAL STRUCTURE
GOVERNMENT
BELIEFS AND RELIGIONS
ADVANCEMENTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS
Architecture
HISTORY
- The Maya developed their civilization in the lowlands of what is now Guatemala around 1000 BC.
- Their civilization stretched from central Mexico to the northern part of Central America ( A.K.A Mesoamerica).
- When the Spanish started arriving in Mexico the conquistadors conquered the Maya in the 1500's.
GEOGRAPHY
- The Maya developed their civilization in Mesoamerica.
- They settled in the lowlands of Guatemala around 1000 BC.
- Some geographical traits are thick tropical forests, which covered most of their land
Economy
- The Maya economy was mostly based on trade with neighbors. This was mostly because people needed things that where not available in their villages, so they exchanged goods and product to nearby villages.
- They grew a variety of crops including beans, squash, avocados and maize also known as corn.
SOCIAL STRUCTURE
- The king had the highest position in Maya society, this was mostly because the people thought that the king was related to the god .
- There were other people that belonged to the upper class, these people include priests, rich merchants, and noble warriors.
- The lower class included farming families who lived outside the cities.
GOVERNMENT
- There where 40 large cities in the Maya empire and each of these cities had its own government and king.
- No single ruler ever united the cities to create one big empire.
BELIEFS AND RELIGIONS
- Like the Aztec and Inca the Maya worshiped gods.
- In fact they thought that the gods needed blood to be happy , so they pierced them selves to give blood to the gods thinking that they would get good weather and riches.
- They also made human sacrifices.
ADVANCEMENTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS
- The Maya had a lot of achievements during their time. One of their many achievements was building large observation building so people could study the sky.
- They not only had this achievement in science but they also invented the first two calenders.
- They were extreme mathematical geniuses.
- Another great advancement was the fact that they created a number
- writing system.
Architecture
- They had amazing art and architecture in the Maya society.
- Temples and palaces were masterly built and decorated with paintings and sculptures.
- I think the most impressive achievement they had was the fact that they had no wheeled barrels to carry the hevy thing they needed to build the temples.