The Maya enhanced their physical features at birth.
You’ve probably heard about how Japanese Geisha women wrap their feet up in rope in order to make them smaller. Did you know that the Ancient Maya also were in love with the idea of physically changing their bodies at birth? For example, the ancient Maya wanted very flat foreheads so they would take wooden boards and apply them to the forehead of babies.
The Maya enhanced their physical features at birth
Sweat baths were considered sacred.
If the stock market existed back during the time of the Maya you could have made a pretty penny via online investing and options trading with sweat baths and sauna houses. Back then the Maya believed that these hot baths were considered to be essentially sacred. They felt that you could remove impurities from your body by sitting in them and sweating them out.
Mayan Shamans had excellent medical knowledge.
It’s easy to think that we have the best medical knowledge of all time. You can spend time perusing through various online trading and stock investment forums just to prove it. Back when the Maya ruled the time period they also believed they had the utmost medical knowledge. In fact, Mayan Shamans had such deep medical knowledge that they were able to suture their own wounds, attend bone fractures, and even do certain dental work. We’d still prefer our doctor down the street, but being treated by a Mayan Shaman back then wasn’t a death sentence either.
Mayan Shamans had excellent medical knowledge
The Maya believed that being cross eyed was desirable.
While many folks are at least a little bit cross eyed it has never been thought of as a particularly desirable trait in our culture. For the ancient Maya, however, being cross eyed was something to be proud of. In fact, like the forehead pressing above, they would go through great lengths to make their children cross eyed at birth. This would take the form of dangling objects in front of a baby’s eyes until they were permanently crossed.
Mayan children began working at age 5.
For life as part of the Mayan culture you were expected to be a contributor at a relatively young age. This meant that for the majority of children, both male and female, they began working at the tender age of 5 years old. Little girls were expected to handle chores within the home while boys were told to go out and assist the other men and working and plowing the fields. At this age as well most children were considered ‘adult’.
Mayan children began working at age 5
Blood sacrifice was an integral part of their culture.
For the ancient Maya there was no shame in blood sacrifice. In fact, blood sacrifice was an integral part of their spirituality. In fact, blood sacrifice persists even to this day. Don’t worry about it though, the existing Maya practice blood sacrifice with chicken and then they eat them afterward. Whatever floats your boat, we guess.
Blood sacrifice was an integral part of their culture
The Ancient Maya played ‘extreme’ sports.
The great Mesoamaerican Ballgame, as it is called by some, was actively played and practiced by the Maya. This game featured an 8 pound rubber ball that was not allowed to touch the ground. Players could use their whole body, excluding hands and feet, to keep the ball in the air. Game play was reportedly so violent that death was expected and the losing teams would sometimes even be killed via decapitation.
The Ancient Maya played ‘extreme’ sports
Another Round
Aside from losing the match and their heads, their decapitated heads would sometimes be used for another round of play. Instead of the ball that is, in case you weren’t sure. Talk about adding insult to injury.
Another Round
Being a sacrifice for the Maya was not very fun.
We sometimes get it into our head that to be a sacrifice you had to be special in some way. This wasn’t the case for the Mayan sacrifices of old. If you were sacrificed by the Maya you were likely a prisoner of war or a slave. In order to get sacrificed you would first be painted completely blue and then you would be tortured. They would then either have an archery unit shoot you with a hundred arrows or they would carve your heart out of your chest while you were alive. Yes, this is insane. To make it more insane sometimes the head priest would peel off your skin and wear it.
Being a sacrifice for the Maya was not very fun
The 2012 Calendar was a myth.
Okay, so this is actually kind of complicated. Many folks misinterpreted how the Maya calculated their calendars and this got many folks believing that they had predicted the world to end in 2012. the truth is that the Mayans actually had many calendars and that in 2012 they would be merely switching to the next one in their list. There was no real reason to believe that the world would end in 2012 other than that some people wanted to start peddling conspiracy theories.
The 2012 Calendar was a myth
3 Calenders
Not only were conspiracy theorists wrong about the Mayan calendar, they were also misinformed. The Mayas had three different calendars and one even resembled the Gregorian calendar with 365 days.
3 Calendars
The Ancient Mayans had an advanced writing system.
We typically don’t think of many ancient cultures as having advanced language or writing but the Mayans bucked both of those trends. The ancient Mayan civilization in fact had one of the most complex and advanced writing system in the world at the time. They would write on anything that they could find, including on their own buildings. Sadly much of this writing went the way of extinction during the time of the Spanish invasion. Still, what remained has ended up getting translated by scholars over the years in order to give us a more complete picture of the people.
The Ancient Mayans had an advanced writing system
Hallucinogens were commonly used by the Mayan people.
Back in the time of the ancient Mayans there wasn’t much to speak of in terms of advanced medicine. This led the civilization to lean heavily upon certain drugs such as peyote, alcohol, and specific types of mushrooms. These drugs were used in both rituals as well as in celebration with the occasional bout used for pain killing. You can see how the Mayan people used these drugs by looking through their pottery and other ancient artwork.
Dentistry
The Mayas might have already been using advanced medical techniques for their time, but their dentistry was next level. The men and women would carve jewels and jades into their teeth. Experts believe that these dental additions had nothing to do with class, but rather just a form of decoration.
Dentistry
Orthodontists
Had you been an orthodontist during the time of the Mayas, you might have had interesting projects. One such project that was common for these people was to sharpen their teeth. Believe it or not, this was done usually for women to attract their male counterparts. Hmmm…
Orthodontists
The Maya officially existed in state form until 1697.
Though we paint the ancient Maya as having collapsed many, many years ago the truth is that the Mayan kingdom actually lasted until 1697. The last Maya state around was Tayasal, a city out on an island that was under the rule of the Itza Kingdom. Though King Canek held on to his rule, however small, he eventually had to relinquish it to the Spanish government when they came calling. This painted the official end of the Mayan people as anything more than a scattered collection of folks with common ancestry throughout history.
The Maya officially existed in state form until 1697
Nobody knows why the Mayan Civilization collapsed.
Though we have tons of evidence supporting the day to day lives of the Mayan people we have yet to come to a firm conclusion as to why the once great civilization simply vanished from their place atop the ladder. Some theories speculate that disease or low class revolt were the primary engineers of the collapse. Other people suspect that the Mayans were simply too successful in dominating their land and they thus ended up milking the local area dry of resources. Coupling this lack of resource with the falling apart of trade routes points us in the direction of the Mayan culture simply succumbing to exhaustion at the end of it all.
Nobody knows why the Mayan Civilization collapsed
The Start.
According to the ancient Mayans, the world was actually created on August 11, 3114BC, which is the date their own calendar counts from.
The Start.
Preclassic Period.
If you look way back when, you’ll see that the earliest Mayan settlements date to around 1800 B.C., or the beginning (!) of what is called the Preclassic or Formative Period.
Preclassic Period
One Plus One.
According to many scholars, the most distinctive Mayan achievements were in abstract mathematics and astronomy. Which is pretty extraordinary!
One Plus One
The Written Word.
Why yes, the ancient Mayans were were literate and had a written language and even books. In fact, they used hieroglyphics (symbols for words) and there were about 800 symbols.
The Written Word.
Quite the Puzzle.
In fact, there use of hieroglyphics was one of the most complex systems found on Earth, and it only began to be successfully decoded back in the 1950’s.
Quite The Puzzle.
Books From Bark
The Mayan people might have been the first people to create books with paper that came from the bark of trees, like how we do it today. To date, there are 3 confirmed codices from the ancient Mayan period, and one more which is still in question.
Books From Bark
Obsidian, or volcanic rock.
Just like the Aztecs, the Mayans never used iron or steel. Instead, their weapons were made of obsidian, or volcanic rock.
Obsidian, or volcanic rock
Tikal
Turns out that the smallest Mayan centers covered just less than a square kilometer. Tikal, is actually the largest, as it covered 123 square kilometers (30,000 acres).
Tikal
La Danta
There’s no doubt that the Ancient Mayans were incredible engineers, they constructed extraordinary Pyramids and temples that match the ones built in Egypt. The peak of La Danta is actually one of the world’s largest pyramids. In fact, its more massive than the Great Pyramid of Giza as it contains around 99 million cubic feet of rock.
La Danta
Star Tracker
The Mayans very detailed, meticulous records of the movements of the stars, sun, moon and planets. They honestly believed that the Sun, Moon and stars were “gods” who moved in the sky. Celestial events such as eclipses, equinoxes and solstices were also marked in their ancient temples.
Star Tracker
Other Gods
They weren’t only convinced of the shining lights in the sky as gods, they believed that there were other gods. Those gods included the god of rain and the god of corn… yes, corn.
Other Gods
Ōllamaliztli
The Ancient Mayans did in fact play sports. The Mesoamerican ballgame, also known as Ōllamaliztli in Nahuatl, was a “sport” practiced by all of the major civilizations from the Olmecs to the Aztecs. The entire objective of the game was to strike a rubber ball through the hoop using any part of the body except for the hands.
Ōllamaliztli
City Life
The Late Preclassic city of Mirador, located in the northern Peten, was actually one of the greatest cities ever built in the pre-Columbian Americas.
City Life
Farmer Joe
The main crops were maize (corn), beans, squash, avocados, chili peppers, pineapples, papayas, and cacao. Sounds delicious actually!
Farmer Joe
Slash And Burn
One of the most useful methods of agriculture cultivation was being used by the Mayas all the way back then. They would burn the earth where crops grew in order to allow fresh crops to grow over them. To this day, farmers still use this very successful method of farming.
Slash And Burn
Advanced Gardening
The Mayan people successfully used methods of irrigation that assisted them with growing food in the tropical rain-forest they found themselves in. The Mayas turned the wetlands they occupied into farmlands – not an easy feat.
Advanced Gardening
Strange Foods
It’s no surprise that tribes of the past ate things that we wouldn’t dream of eating, and the Mayas are no exception to that concept. They had no problem eating dogs, rabbits, frogs, tadpoles and even grasshoppers. Yuck!
Strange Foods
Take A Shot
Your first task is to pronounce this – xtabentún. Your second task would be trying to pronounce it after having had a couple of shots of it. This drink is an ancient Mayan rum/liquor that they made by fermenting honey.
Take A Shot
Yucatan Peninsula
There are in fact an estimated 7 million Mayans still living in and around the Yucatan Peninsula today. The people are obviously not the same as the Mayans were, but they are descendants who follow many of the same traditions.
Yucatan Peninsula
Their Population
At the height of their civilization, the Mayan population reached as high as 2,000,000 people. But that didn’t mean that they were all at peace with each-other.
Their Population
Civil War
Throughout history, experts believed that the Mayas didn’t fight each-other more than with a few short battles. But recently after a hurricane in the region, archaeologists uncovered new evidence which tells of mass civil war which resulted in the death of thousands of their own people.
Civil War
Death Mask
Have you ever heard of a mummy? Of course you have. Well the Mayas had a similar idea to the Egyptians when it came to the passage from life to the afterlife. The dead of high society members would receive a specially-crafted mask that was supposed to assist the dead onto the next world.
Death Mask
Shells And Feathers
The Mayas would use feathers as decoration for outfits that represented different social classes. They would also use sea shells for ceremonies as well as for war times.
Shells And Feathers
Happy Birthday
All of the Mayan children were named according to the day that they were born on. That means that many children could have had the same name.
Happy Birthday
“Ulama”.
There is a modern version of a sport played back then called “Ulama”, but this game doesn’t include decapitation. We’re going to say that’s a plus.
Ulama
Zero
Outside of the Babylonian systems, the Mayans were ~possibly~ the first civilization to explicitly use the number 0 as a place holder. Whoa! Later on, Indian mathematicians became the first to use it as a mathematical value in computations though.
Zero.
Text
Unfortunately many of the Mayan writings were lost during the Spanish conquest. However after much study during the 20th and 21st centuries, a lot of the remaining writings have been recovered and translated.
Text.
“Xoc” Or Shark
We owe something else to the Mayas, and that is sharks. Well, no we don’t mean to say that they invented sharks, rather they could have been the reason we have the word “shark”. According to some sources, the Mayan word “xoc” meant shark and we took it from there.
“Xoc” Or Shark
Tattooed Too
We all know that tattoos are not a recent thing, but getting a tattoo back in the days of the Maya was quite different. First the “tattoo artist” would carve a shape into a person’s body part and then fill it with ink. Quite often the person would fall prey to infection and even died sometimes, therefore those who got tattoos were considered to be brave.
Tattooed Too
Crow Nose
Another physical feature the Mayas found attractive were noses that were bent like a crow’s beak. They would even go to measures to get their nose cartilage to bend in that way.
Crow Nose
Powerful Civilization
At the time of the Mayans, they were one of three of the most powerful civilizations in America. The other two civilizations were the Aztecs and the Incas.
Powerful Civilization
Top Treatment
For the Mayan king and his noblemen, life was cushy and swell. One example that shows this is the way that they were transported from place to place. Slaves had the duty of carrying these people around, while commoners provided to their other needs.
Top Treatment
Daily Life
Most Mayan peasants worked as farmers, although some worked as tool makers. Their wives usually cooked, cleaned, and manufactured clothing – usually by means of weaving.
Daily Life
Clothing For Status
Very much like the society we live in today, the Mayan people used clothing as a status symbol. The wealthy often strutted animal skins and feather headwear, sometimes even adding their own version of jewelry.
Clothing For Status
Commoners’ Clothing
For the average Mayans, clothing was basic and practical. Men usually wore loincloths whereas women dressed themselves in long skirts. A “manta”, like a cloak, came in handy for both men and women, serving as a means to keep warm during cold weather and during sleep time.
Commoners Clothing
Chocolate Lovers
How much has really changed since the days of the Mayans? They loved chocolate, we love chocolate – done. The Mayans were actually sure that chocolate was a gift from the gods, and used it in trade. It was actually the Mayans who introduced cacao to the rest of the world.
Chocolate Lovers
Other Foods
Aside from the wonderful gift of chocolate, the Mayans brought other important foods to the rest of the world. What were these other foods? Well, how about, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, black beans and papayas? Pretty useful if you ask me.
Other Foods
Living Quarters
Society seems to have always had a difference in class, and living conditions are usually a part of that. Back in the Mayan days, rich noblemen would live in stone palaces, whereas commoners usually lived in single-room mud huts with hatch roofs.
Living Quarters
Dance For Life
Like many cultures, the Mayans had many different kinds of dances, some of which are actually still alive today. Some of these dances are the Monkey Dance, the Snake Dance, and the Dance of the Stag.
Dance For Life
Tall Hats
The Mayans really liked themselves some big and tall hats. In fact it was the height of their hats and headgear that showed off their importance to the others around them.
Tall Hats
Hands On Farming
When it came to farming, the Mayans were very “hands on”. Perhaps too literally, since they didn’t have any beasts or advanced tools for farming, they used their bare hands to do the work.
Hands On Farming
Their Own Cities
Not too different from modern countries today, the Mayans had their own cities, each with their own government body. You may have even read or heard about these cities, like, El Mirador, Tikal and Caracol.
Their Own Cities
Between Gods
Kings ruled each of their cities, and they played an important role not just in the governing and rule of these cities. The Mayans believed that kings were the mediators between the gods and the people.
Between Gods
Not Just Kings
But it wasn’t just kings who were seen as a great powers, priests were too. This was mainly because of the great importance these people put on religion, which is probably why kings sometimes were called priests.
Not Just Kings
Punishable Crimes
Seeing as the Mayans sacrificed people for the gods, what would you expect from them for someone who intentionally broke the law? Murder, arson and acts against the gods received the death penalty. However, if the action was a mistake then they could reduce the punishment.
Punishable Crimes
Strange Punishment
Aside from the death penalty, there were other forms of punishments for criminals. Fines, slavery and even having one’s hair shaved off were all punishments that the Mayans were willing to dish out.
Strange Punishment
About Face
The king held the highest status in their religion. His status was so high that commoners were not even allowed to see his face! Instagram wouldn’t have worked back then, that’s for sure.
About Face
Heaven Worthy
It took quite a lot to become worthy enough to make it into heaven, according to the Mayans. They believed that only if someone died at childbirth, or were sacrificed, would they be able to enter heaven. Wow.
Heaven Worthy
Man Made
Some religions believe that we were created in the shadow of god, others believe we’re made of stardust. But for the Mayans, it’s quite different. Their belief is that humans were made from maize/corn.
Man Made
Illiteracy
Today we believe that it is the right of all people to be able to read and write. However, it was quite different back in the times of the Mayans. It was considered to be a privilege that only the wealthy had.
Illiteracy
Final Days
It came as quite a surprise that such a flourishing and powerful civilization came crashing down. Although there are no concrete facts as to why or how the ancient Mayan population went extinct, there are some theories. Many historians believe that they overpopulated and over-consumed their surroundings.
Final Days
