Page 21 - Mexico Diving From the Caribbean to Pacific Isles

nstead, the hieroglyphics boasted of the
Iaccomplishments of a war-like elite. Many of
the great Mayan buildings were monuments
to great military leaders. Settlements with
large structures served as centers for trade, but
primarily for the accumulation of riches for the
elite of Mayan society. Those who contributed
to culture, artisans and astronomers among
them, were highly esteemed, but a ruling
elite held the riches and the power. The Maya
reached their peak between A.D. 200 and A.D.
900 when they declined for reasons unknown.
Many of the major sites were abandoned,
others lasted until the 17th century. Many of
the ruins were rediscovered during the 19th
century when logging brought the ancient
centers to light. Almost all of the ancient sites their teeth and inlaid then with obsidian, jade
had been covered and hidden by dense jungle
overgrowth. Among the Maya, social hierarchy
played an important role and nobility enjoyed
special privileges and exercised absolute
power. Some of the Mayan ruins still have pre-
served inscriptions and paintings. The nobles
were warriors and glorified for their victories.
Mayan art required a wide range of special-
ized craftsmen to make the paintings, carved
stone and stucco sculptures. Dances were an
important part of religious events. Musicians
played the drums, wooden and clay trumpets
and flutes, rattles and scrapers. Mayan art is
impressive not only because of its size but also
because of its harmonious composition.
The common people and slaves were
responsible for providing material goods.
Under the supervision of priests, activities such energy for life or death. The ancient Maya
as slash and burn agriculture, hunting and
building were carried out collectively. Most of
the goods obtained by the lower classes were
handed over as tribute to the noble classes
comprised of Lords and Priests. The Lord class
practiced cranial deformation and perforated
the nasal septum, lips and ear lobes to insert
nose rings, lower lip and ear rings. They filed
and pyrite stones. The Maya tattooed their skin
and painted their bodies for ritual or war. Ma-
yan buildings were erected around large open
squares, where the people participated in reli-
gious celebrations. Construction and the use of
blocks of limestone were covered with a layer
of stucco which served as the base for and
painting the buildings with different colors.
The buildings were decorated with sculptures
modeled in stucco or carved in stone; on which
they depicted their rulers ascending to power.
They also portrayed the works commissioned
during the Lords rule, alternating them with
mythical beings. Maya gods represented the
forces of nature, The same God could be ben-
eficial or harmful, male or female, and provide
represented the universe with an enormous
silt cotton tree. The branches supported the
heavens (Caan), man’s life on earth (Cab) took
place within the trunk and the roots sank into
the underworld or Xibalba. They believed the
earth was square and thought it was supported
by an enormous alligator or turtle. Heaven
was divided into thirteen levels ruled by the
same number of Gods; while the underworld
was divided into nine levels. Mayan civilization
thrived until around 800 when a decline began.
Tikal was abandoned, and the process of
recording events stopped there by 900. Uxmal
showed more development around 850, but it
was abandoned around 925.