Mayan Cities Religion Science and Decline Mayan Cities
- Slides: 19
Mayan Cities, Religion, Science, and Decline
Mayan Cities § The central part of any Mayan city was its temple. § The temple would be the city’s most extravagant building § Many temples were built as monuments to a ruler or a way of making the city look powerful (oneupmanship) § In front of a temple would be a square where sacrifices were conducted and stelea built § Stelea were pillars that listed accomplishments of kings § Around the temple would live the royal family § The closer to the temple the more important the person § Cities were in fact mainly populated by the royal family, farmers lived outside the city
Mayan City Construction § What do you think this is? § It is the foundation § What materials are used here? § 1 st layer is crushed lime stone, 2 nd layer is sand, 3 rd layer gravel (6 feet thick) § Why is this foundation needed? § To drain all the rain water from the city
Caracol – the perfect example of Mayan Drainage
Earthquake Proof Cities When the plaza shook, the clay buffers would absorb the impact of the shaking foundation. Temple Clay Buffer Foundation of the Plaza Clay Buffer
The Chiltun – The Mayan Fridge
Tikal § The greatest Mayan city-state § In present day Peten, Guatemala § Was the unquestioned power in the Mayan world from about 600 AD to 820 AD § Closest the Mayan world ever came to unified empire § Its greatest leader is Ah Cacao (The Chocolate Man) § Built Temple of the Giant Jaguar as his tomb § Built Temple IV to commemorate Tikal’s victory over Calakmul § Tikal is defeated by Caracol in the 9 th century and the city is deserted
Temple IV The Temple of the Giant Jaguar
Palenque § The Greatest Mayan power in the Western Mayan World § Present day Chiapas, Mexico § Ruled by Pacal, one of the greatest Mayan kings § His tomb is the Temple of the Inscriptions
Mayan Religion The Mayans believed the universe resembled the ceiba tree: branches represented heaven, the roots the underworld, and the soil was earthly life The Earth was a crocodile floating in a never ending sea Mayans practiced a polytheistic religion Gods controlled all the forces of nature § Ch’ac: Rain God; Cu’nich’ahow: Sun God
The Ceiba Tree and Xibalba
Mayan Religion § Priest would make sacrifices to appease the Gods § Sacrifices would usually happen in caves § Mayans believed that caves were the entrance to the Underworld (Xibalba) § Sacrifices would be made by royalty (the most pure blood § Either grain or blood § Human sacrifices only happened during the decline § Mayans would alter their appearances to please the Gods as well
Obsidian Blade - Obsidian is volcanic glass
Mayan Advancements in Science § Mayans made advancements in medicine to live in the jungle § Mayans were the most advance astronomical society at that time § Astronomy – the study of space § Mayan cities all had observatories and used astronomy in city planning
Tikal and the Pleiades
Mayan Mathematics § First society to ever use a symbol to represent zero
- Western religion vs eastern religion
- It is my favourite subject
- Chapter 15 cultural transformations religion and science
- Cultural transformations religion and science
- Weitzel and jonsson’s model of organizational decline
- Chapter 7 lesson 4 glory, war, and decline answers
- Slope decline theory
- Organizational decline stages
- Rule of pericles
- Glory war and decline
- Glory war and decline
- The decline and fall of the romanov dynasty
- Science vs religion
- Mandate of heaven china
- Orange order membership decline
- Decline of the dutch republic
- Product in decline stage
- Victor hugo voici que la saison décline
- Double declining formula
- Trickle across theory fashion