Lifestyle of Mayans

The Mayan culture reached from Mexico into Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador and lasted for over 3,500 years. In fact, descendants of the Maya are still living in the region and some of the Mayan languages are still spoken. The most visible legacy of the Maya are the stunning Mayan ruins that dot the Yucatan Peninsula.

They used humans as their sacrifices because it was believed that the Gods needed human blood to grow stronger. Yet another custom that was practiced sometimes was self-torture; on more dedicated levels one would practice self-torture daily.Another common custom was human sacrifices to the Gods. One way of doing this was by ripping out their hearts and leaving them there for offering to the Gods, or by throwing them down a cliff.
Mayan families all lived together- the parents, children, grandparents, and even great grandparents. When they were on their farms with the family, the men and older boys did most of the farm work including cropping, hunting, and fishing. The women and older girls did most of the “inside” work such as making clothes, preparing food, raising the children, getting firewood, and water.
They used chert and obsidian to create tools. They used bone to create needles and fishing hooks. Wood was also used for many things. They used it for making handles for things, levers, and bows for hunting and warriors. Later on in the 1200’s they used copper for tweezers and fishing hooks. Besides chert and obsidian, basalt was used for scrapers, chisels, axes, and grinding stones.

For decoration, beads and dresses, they used bone, jade, oystershells, and any other dark green stone they can find. Usually the girls would make the clothing and jewels, along with other chores such as bringing in wood and water. They would make sculptures and necklaces out of these rescources. They also wove baskets and clothing. They would use natural dye from indigo plants (which produced blue) and the chochineal (a bug) which would make red.

Mayan Writing

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.

Mayan Art

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.

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