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The ancient Maya civilization occupied the eastern third of Mesoamerica,

primarily the Yucatan Peninsula. The topography of the area greatly varied
from volcanic mountains, which comprised the highlands in the South, to a
porous limestone shelf, known as the Lowlands, in the central and northern
regions. The southern portions of the Lowlands were covered by a rain
forest with an average height of about 150 feet. Scattered savannas and
swamps, or bajos, appeared sporadically, interrupting the dense forests. The
northern Lowlands were also comprised of forests but they were drier than
their southern counterparts, mainly growing small thorny trees. February to
May was the dry season characterized by air that was intensely hot and
uncomfortable. At this time of year, the fields had recently been cut and
had to be burned in accordance with their slash and burn form of
agriculture. The skies filled with a smoky grit, making the air even more
unbearable until the rains came in late May to clear the murky atmosphere.

Many dangerous animals occupied this region of the peninsula including the
jaguar, the caiman (a fierce crocodile), the bull shark, and many species of
poisonous snakes. These animals had to be avoided as the Maya scavenged
the forest for foods including deer turkey, peccaries, tapirs, rabbits, and
large rodents such as the peca and the agouti. Many varieties of monkeys
and quetzal also occupied the upper canopy. The climate of the Highlands
greatly contrasted with that of the Lowlands as it was much cooler and
drier.

Both the Highlands and the Lowlands were important to the presence of
trade within the Mayan civilization. The lowlands primarily produced crops
which were used for their own personal consumption, the principle cultigen
being maize. They also grew squash, beans, chili peppers, amaranth, manioc,
cacao, cotton for light cloth, and sisal for heavy cloth and rope.

The volcanic highlands, however, were the source of obsidian, jade, and
other precious metals like cinnabar and hematite that the Mayans used to
develop a lively trade. Although the lowlands were not the source of any of
these commodities, they still played an important role as the origin of the
transportation routes. The rainfall was as high as 160 inches per year in the
Lowlands and the water that collected drained towards the Caribbean or the
Gulf of Mexico in great river systems. These rivers, of which the
Usumacinta and the Grijalva were of primary importance, were vital to the
civilization as the form of transportation for both people and materials.

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Contrary to popular beleif, the Mayan civilization was not one unified empire,
but rather a multitude of separate entities with a common cultural
background. Similar to the Greeks, they were religiously and artistically a
nation, but politically sovereign states. As many as twenty such states
existed on the Yucatan Peninsula, but although a woman has, on rare
occasions, ascended to the ruling position, she has never acquired the title
of 'mah kina'.

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An elaborate system of writing was developed to record the transition of

power through the generations. Maya writing was composed of recorded
inscriptions on stone and wood and used within architecture. Folding tree
books were made from fig tree bark and placed in royal tombs.
Unfortunately, many of these books did not survive the humidity of the
tropics or the invasion of the Spanish, who regarded the symbolic writing as
the work of the devil.

Four books are known today:

The Dresden Codex

The Madud Codex
The Paris Codex
The Grolier Codex.

The priests followed the ruling class in importance and were instrumental in
the recordings of history through the heiroglyphs. The two classes were
closely linked and held a monopoly on learning, including writing. The
heiroglyphs were formed through a combination of different signs which
represented either whole words or single syllables. The information could be
conveyed through inscriptions alone, but it was usually combined with
pictures showing action to facilitate comprehension.


    


In both the priesthood and the ruling class, nepotism was apparently the
prevailing system under which new members were chosen. Primogeniture was
the form under which new kings were chosen as the king passed down his
position to his son. After the birth of a heir, the kings performed a blood
sacrifice by drawing blood from his own body as an offering to his ancestors.
A human sacrifice was then offered at the time of a new king's installation
in office. To be a king, one must have taken a captive in a war and that
person is then used as the victim in his accession ceremony. This ritual is the
most important of a king's life as it is the point at which he inherits the
position as head of the lineage and leader of the city. The religious
explanation that upheld the institution of kingship asserted that Maya rulers
were necessary for continuance of the Universe.

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The art of the Maya, as with every civilization, is a reflection of their

lifestyle and culture. The art was composed of delineation and painting upon
paper and plaster, carvings in wood and stone, clay and stucco models, and
terra cotta figurines from molds. The technical process of metal working
was also highly developed but as the resources were scarce, they only
created ornaments in this media. Many of the great programs of Maya art,
inscriptions, and architecture were commissioned by Mayan kings to
memorialize themselves and ensure their place in history. The prevailing
subject of their art is not anonymous priests and unnamed gods but rather
men and women of power that serve to recreate the history of the people.
The works are a reflection of the society and its interaction with
surrounding people.

One of the greatest shows of Mayan artistic ability and culture is the
hieroglyphic stairway located at Copan. The stairway is an iconographical
complex composed of statues, figures, and ramps in addition to the central
stairway which together port ray many elements of Mayan society. An alter
is present as well as many pictorial references of sacrifice and their gods.
More importantly than all the imagery captured with in this monument,
however, is the history of the royal descent depicted in the heiroglyphs and
various statues. The figurine of a seated captive is also representative of
Mayan society as it depicts someone in the process of a bloodletting
ceremony, which included the accession to kingship. This figure is of high
rank as depicted by his expensive earrings and intricately woven hip cloth.
The rope collar which would usually mark this man as a captive, reveals that
he is involved in a bloodletting rite. His genitals are exposed as he is just
about to draw blood for the ceremony.

In the Indian communities, as it was with their Mayan ancestors, the basic
staple diet is corn. The clothing worn is as it was in the past. It is relatively
easy to determine the village in which the clothing was made by the the type
of embroidery, color, design and shape. Mayan dialects of Qhuche,
Cakchiquel, Kekchi, and Mam are still spoken today, although the majority of
Indians also speak Spanish.