Mayan Civilization Lived mainly on the Yucatan Peninsula

Mayan Civilization

� � Lived mainly on the Yucatan Peninsula Had common organization but did not live under one empire � Many separate groups with similar cultural backgrounds � Politically independent states Along with neighbors, they developed the concept of zero � Produced extremely accurate astronomical charts � Human sacrifices to their gods �

Economy � Agriculture �Primary crop was maize � Many techniques of spinning, dyeing, and weaving cotton � Domesticated the dog and the turkey �No larger animals �No machines with wheels

� Purchases made with �Cocoa beans �copper bells �copper �many other things

Art � Composed of delineation and painting upon � Paper � Building plaster � Wood � Stone � Clay � Stucco molds � Terra cotta figurines Developed advanced process of working with metal, but scarce resources to support � Fine pottery � Much of their art was of the kings who ordered it in order to keep their place in history �

Hieroglyphics Had a sophisticated system of writing � Developed in order to record the transition of power through the generations � Inscriptions on stone or wood � Folding tree books � �Made from fig tree bark �Often placed in royal tombs �Only 4 survived to today � Only known fully developed written language of the Pre-Columbian Americas

Collapse � � Reason for downfall is unknown Theories �Soil exhaustion �Water loss and erosion �Competition between agriculture and surrounding Savanna �Catastrophe (earthquake, hurricane) �Disease �High social structure �Invasions by surrounding people �Spanish conquest � Never really disappeared, still exist