The Maya Civilization Explained in 11 Minutes

This video is presented by the captivating history of the early Mayan

civilization

. There has been renewed interest in the Mayan

civilization

lately, much of this occurring in 2012, when many thought the end of the Mayan calendar would coincide with the end of civilization. What did the Mayans know? When they created their calendar Why and how they did it It's captivating The rise and fall of an ancient civilization Join us as we take a concise look at the most influential civilization in Mesoamerica, the Mayans, from around 40,000 to 20,000 BC. C., people crossed from the land bridge between present-day Alaska and Siberia into North America, moved south in search of a warmer climate, hunted Krauts better, and had more abundant plant life.

They settled in the present-day Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico between 10,000 and 8,000 BC. C. The Mayans also inhabited the southeast of Mexico, Yucatán, and the northwest of Central America. The highlands, lowlands and coastal areas were abundant in natural resources and minerals such as obsidian, jade and fish farming took root around 6000 BC. C., which caused a huge surplus of food which in turn led to population growth. The first Mayan civilization formed around its resources and its culture flourished in the year 1500. To 250 C. was known as the preclassic period. Tribal villages evolved into tribal chiefs and then early mining states.

This began in 1700 BC. C. when ceramics were developed, which made trade much easier. This trade between groups in Mexico and Central America led to the birth of an elite class, a ruling class that would exert control over the lower classes and characterized the social structure of many future civilizations. This hierarchy broke down and led to the formation of small chiefdoms in which a central village would have power over the smaller Hamlets around the year 1200. BCE, the advanced Mayan villages became involved in a regional train that brought them into contact with other societies, including the Olmecs, the mines later adopted aspects of Olmec society, including their gods, urban planning, rituals, and art as wealth and power accumulated.

Strong cities evolved from chiefdoms to proto-states and with The proto-states they began war. Mayan rulers discovered that they could attack other groups to gain wealth, work, and eliminate rivals. At this time, the lowland Maya expanded from the banks of rivers and lakes inland and central Mayan influence then expanded to the highland area around 800 BC. The mining states were formed around 400 BC. C. at Kinmen Lu, Lu Huxton and El Mirador, due to their higher status in war and trade, the evolution of the Mayan state took place for the most part within the formation of these regions, evident in the prestigious and grand buildings built.

During this time period, for example, the pyramid of Ladonna, which was the largest pyramid of the early Mayan civilization and all of ancient Mesoamerica, built in the lost city of Mirador and situated at 236 feet, war was rife in these states, uprisings were common and no state was immune to In addition, volcanic eruptions, overpopulation, and excessive land use are believed to have caused the decline of the early Mayan civilizations around 150 AD. the golden age when the prominence of the Pacific coast Maya decreased that of the lowland Maya increased with the fall of El Mirador artistic writing and the Mayan population advanced in the lowlands and the city of Tikal in present-day Guatemala increased in influence and power with an estimated population of 100,000 Tikal expanded its influence into surrounding areas became a powerful state the main political and economic issue during this time concerned the rivalry between the states of De Cal and the loss of prominence after a long war with Calakmul left a power vacuum in which many states asserted their independence.

Calakmul emerged as the most powerful mental state of its time. It was a time of great culture. and intellectual growth mainly in astronomy and development of the famous Mayan calendar however few empires last forever the main cities of Cal and Calakmul collapsed around the 9th century CE II due to almost constant wars and ecological factors the cities were abandoned returning to small villages and ending the Mayan Golden Age from the Golden Age to the era of disaster the collapse of the southern lowland cities resulted in a shift of power to the Mayans of the Yucatan Peninsula during this period known as the classical era terminal, the oldest preclassical cities took power and the Mayan civilization became more pan-Mesoamerican during this era the world famous Chichén Itzá, meaning at the mouth of the well of the Itzá, gained prominence from its location in the north of the Yucatán Peninsula and the resulting dependence on maritime trade led to its greater prominence in this period as Chichén Itzá gained prominence it became the center of a Mesoamerican trade network simultaneously the ruling hierarchy eroded and the society became more democratic with these changes the classical era ended terminal and the postclassical era began chichén itzá was not to last as a center of power in decline in the mid-century east due to devastating wars around 1100 CE II its position as a great power disappeared as Mayan influence diminished the northern Aztecs They became more influential when the Spanish conquistadors reached Montezuma.

The leader of the Aztecs tried to convince all the Mayans to unite against the Spanish, but in 1530 the failure to unite against a common threat led to the Mayans of the Highlands and the coasts of the Pacific were conquered by the Spanish during 1527 to 1530. The Mayans of Yucatán fought bravely against the Spanish, defeating them in 1535, but reinforcements continued to arrive from Spain and In 1546, after a last effort of resistance, the Spanish had conquered all the Mayan territory. The conquest proved disastrous for the pre-Columbian Mayans. 90 percent of its population died from European diseases, war and slavery, and in 1697 the civilization was finally lost to history.

There were different political systems in different Mayan societies. At Chichén Itzá in the late Postclassic, a multiple joint government system was in effect in which the royal family ruled jointly, the elites made up 10% of the population, and the middle class was made up mostly of low-income members. . level priests, soldiers and merchants below the middle class, commoners were both farmers and workers. All scholars agree that monarchs were the final rulers of my states. They came from royal dynasties that based their power on the control of resources such as obsidian. The destinies of the rulers were unstable.

From what they led their people to believe, bad omens, like drums, could threaten their reign, capturing or sacrificing a Mayan king could spell disaster for a mining town, but despite their eventual decline, these rulers had a unquestionable power. Mayan Warfare War served an important function, it was a constant way of life for the Mayans. The Mayan kings were fierce war captains represented with trophy heads on their belts to symbolize the sacrificed prisoners. One of the most important figures in the war was then calm a chief military strategist responsible for gathering and organizing armies, only the elite.

They could be officers, soldiers, they were always commoners or middle class, a common weapon used by the Mayans was the atlatl or spear and could effectively hit a target from 150 feet away. Spears with spikes or blades, axes and clubs were also used. Axor, club, armed soldiers supported with spearmint or were used for raids research suggests that the mining soldiers fought out of formation due to the jungle terrain the order of battle involved an initial volley of spears and arrows followed by hand-to-hand combat the Mayans participated in warfare to expand their territory control trade routes and acquire prisoners for sacrifices to the gods mining society religion was prevalent in Mayan life and affected everything from trade to agriculture the ruler was the head priest who made sacrifices and performed rituals to appease the gods, human blood was the most powerful offering, however, human sacrifices were only reserved.

For special occasions such as coronations of rulers or when blessing a new temple, these sacrifices were often carried out during difficult times such as outbreaks of disease and famine, the religion of the Mayans was polytheistic and it is not surprising that there were 250 names for The Mayan deities, the most important being the Mayan god is Aamna the supreme deity The gods existed in the upper world known as the kingdom of heaven and in the underworld Mayan religious life was a rich and varied part of their ancient culture The lasting influence Of the Mayans the Spanish invasion did not completely eradicate the Mayans as is commonly believed.

After the Spanish conquest, the remaining 10% of the Mayans were rounded up and placed in Spanish-style settlements where they were expected to convert to Catholicism. Some aspects of Mayan culture survived and mixed with the Catholic practices that the Mayans survived. To this day, they still face challenging conditions. The rainforests have been destroyed and the Mayans no longer have control of their farms. Mayan areas are now world-famous tourist destinations ensuring the survival of Mayan culture and providing a means of earning a living for many Mayans. The complex and intricate Mayan. The story remains to this day as a testimony to one of the greatest Central American civilizations that ever existed.

To discover more about the history of the Mayans, check out our book Mayan History, a fascinating guide to the cultural mythology of the Mayan civilization and the impact of the Mayan people on Mesoamerican History is available as a paperback ebook and audiobook. Also get your free mythology ebook bundle while it's still available. All links are in the description. If you enjoyed the video, hit the like button and subscribe to see more videos like this.