Maya Agriculture
The ancient Maya used basic stone tools and flint axes to clear vines and underbrush. It was virtually impossible to cut down an enormous tree with such crude tools, so the larger trees were usually ringed with fire and killed off several years in advance. After the bushes and vines dried they were burned off. Seeds were planted just prior to the rainy season.
Maya Architecture
The architecture of the Maya was extraordinarily impressive in terms of size, design, and external decoration. It becomes even more amazing when we realize that they did not have metal tools, the wheel, or pack animals. Mayan architects used a variety of methods to enhance the beauty of their buildings.
Maya Art History
The earliest Mayan artists were primarily focused on religious themes. At this time, the Mayans depicted such activities as human sacrifice, warfare, daily life, and religious rituals with startling realism.
Maya Government
Much of what we now know about ancient Mayan government came from the ancient manuscript called Chilam Balam.
Maya Human Sacrifice
Historians believe that the Mayans were first introduced to human sacrifice by the Toltecs.
Maya Lifestyles
No event held more significance for the average Maya than the birth of a child. Child birth was considered a sign of good fortune and a measure of wealth. Children were given a childhood name by a priest and a nickname by the family.
Maya Military
When the Spaniards entered Guatemala they soon realized that unlike the Aztecs or the Incas, the Mayans were not a single nation, and there was no empire governed by a supreme ruler. Instead, they were forced to defeat one city-state after another. Probably, the most organized of these city-states were the Quiche Mayans, and the Quiche put up the greatest resistance against Pedro de Alvarado and his men.
Maya Origins
We know that this first people entered the New World from Asia by way of the Bering Strait. This occurred during the Pleistocene or Ice Age, between 10,000 to 20,000 years ago. Armed with flint-tipped spears, and wearing animal skinned clothing these people slowly spread throughout the hemisphere.
Maya Religion
The Mayans worshiped a broad array of deities. The exact order of their importance is not exactly clear. However, it is believed that the ancient Mayans called their supreme god Hunab Ku. Hunab Ku was the creator of the universe.