Karlee S's List: Mayan culture Notes

• This Indian group existed from about 2000 BCE till 1521 AD.
• ancient times the Mayan people were exceptionally knowledgeable in mathematics, astronomy, architecture, and writing techniques
• a Vice President (Luis Alberto Flores Asturias),
• The Executive branch consists of a President
• The Legislative branch is the 80-member
• The Judicial branch made up of
• (Supreme Court of Justice)
• All literate citizens age 18 and up are required to vote.

• Many of its inhabitants live in modern homes, drive cars, and bustle about in supermarkets, while a large segment of the population lives in adobe huts and shops in Indian open-air markets.

    

     
• Over half of the nation's workers earn less than one US dollar per day!
• not enough money to buy basic food necessities
• Sixty percent of the nation's children suffer from malnutrition
• kids usually get sick, and often die
• In 1960, groups of civilians rose up against the government, complaining that there were too many social injustices taking place, especially with regard to the lower classes
• Mayan people had been especially mistreated
• The uprising turned into a Civil war that lasted 36 years, until an agreement was reached in 1996.
• Guatemala has an unusually high crime rate
• tourists have suffered from this terrible situation. Assaults, car-jackings, kidnappings, and murders take place in every part of the country, and at all hours (but especially at night).

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  Gods  of Nature: The Mayas worshipped the gods of  nature every day. Worshiping their gods was a huge part of their  daily life.     Some of their gods included the God of Rain, Lady  Rainbow, the God of Maize (corn), and of course, the God of Sun.       Without the help of these important gods, there would be no crops  and everyone would starve.

  • they worship the gods for their food, crops and, goods

  • They worship many gods.
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  • • worshiping their gods was part of their every day life.

• Afterlife:  The Mayas believed in an afterlife. Commoners  buried their dead inside their homes, under the floor. That way,  they could live with their ancestors and keep their ancestors easily  posted on their daily life. The Mayas believed they would be  compensated. If they had a rough time or a rough life, this would be  made up to them in their afterlife.  

  Nobles were buried in tombs.

• The  Underworld: Maya religion was far more  complicated than the simple worship of gods of nature. The Maya  world was composed of 3 layers - the Heavens, the Earth, and the  Underworld, sometimes called the Otherworld or the Place of Awe.  

  The  Mayas conducted many ceremonies to keep the demons, creatures and  gods in the Underworld, where they belonged.
• Masks:  During certain religious ceremonies, priests  dressed up like jaguars. Priests wore scary masks as they faced the  inhabitants of the Underworld. Priests wanted to present themselves  as equally scary and powerful. 
• Mirrors:  All of the men, but none of the women, used  mirrors.  In the ancient Maya world, looking into a mirror was  an act of courage. The Maya believed that monsters from the Place of  Awe could reach through the mirror, and yank you into the  Otherworld

• Priests:  Maya daily life and culture was  wrapped around their religion. The priests decided nearly everything  in the Mayas daily life. The priests decided when to plant, when to  marry, and who to sacrifice.   

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• The Mayan language family comprises  five sub-families  and includes many languages that are spoken in Mexico,  Guatemala and Belize
• Mayan languages are spoken in seven states:  Chiapas, Tabasco, Yucatán, Quintana Roo, Campeche,  San Luis Potosí and Veracruz
• In Chiapas,  all the languages are Mayan  (except Zoque),  as are virtually all the  indigenous languages of Guatemala.

• The total number of Mayan speakers  is over 1.5 million,  making this family one of the two largest in Mexico  (the other being the Nahuatl family). 

   

• The five subfamilies of Mayan languages are: 

   
   
  • Ch'ol-Tzotzil subfamily
   
  • Huastecan subfamily
   
  • Yucatecan subfamily
   
  • Chujean-Kanjobal subfamily
   
  • Quichean-Mamean subfamily
• There are numerous ruins of the ancient Mayan civilization  in the states of Chiapas and Yucatan,  as well as in Guatemala.
• archeological sites and the artifacts discovered in them  display a highly developed aesthetic sense—in  stone sculpture, ceramic work, the casting of precious metals,  mosaics, and the carving of crystal and  jade—all of these produced without metal tools.
• Mayas had invented the abstract symbol of zero  to simplify mathematics long before it was in use in Europe,  and the Mayan calendar was older and more efficient  than the Julian calendar that was in use by the Spaniards  who conquered Mexico.
• 1950s one could distinguish what area people came from  by the distinctive clothing of both men and women.
• Now many are buying clothing in stores, especially the men.
• women who live in high altitudes  prefer traditional dress  with its long skirts  woven with wool from their own sheep.
• gave them and their babies much more protection  on frosty winter days.
• shawls were of wool also,

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