Mayan Culture

Like the Aztec and Inca who came to power later, the Maya believed in a cyclical nature of time. The rituals and ceremonies were very closely associated with hundreds (possibly thousands) of celestial/terrestrial cycles which they observed and inscribed as separate calendars (all of infinite duration). The Maya shaman had the job of interpreting these cycles and giving a prophetic outlook on the future or past based on the number relations of all their calendars. If the interpretations of the shamans spelled bad times to come, sacrifices would be performed to change the moods of the gods.

The Ancient Mayan Civilization

The Maya civilization is a historical Mesoameriacan civilization. They extended throughout the northern part of Central American region, these are also present-day countries known as Guatemala, Belize, Western Honduras and El Salvador, and also the southern states of Mexico such as Chipas, Tabasco, and the Yucatan peninsula states of Quintana Roo, Campeche and Yucatan.

In these regions many artifacts that belong to the ancient mayas are said to have been dated back to approximately 1000 B.C. The mayas were said to be have independent city-states unlike the Aztec. Though they did share many traits and beliefs that classified them as Mayas. Their writing system was very intricate, on top of that they had a calender system that consisted of a Long Count divided into five cycles, along with a 260 day ritual cycle and a 365 day solar calender. They also had a comprehensive knowledge of naked-eye astronomy, which they charted the movemens of the moon, Mercury, Venus,Mars, Jupiter and "the constellations through the night sky, and marked the position of the sun along the horizon."

AGRICULTURE

While the Maya diet varies, depending on the local geography maize remains the primary staple now as it was centuries ago. Made nutritionally complete with the addition of lime, the kernels are boiled, ground with a metate and mano, then formed by hand into flat tortillas that are cooked on a griddle that is traditionally supported on three stones. Chile peppers, beans and squash are still grown in the family farm plot or milpa right along with the maize, maximizing each crop's requirements for nutrients, sun, shade and growing surface. Agriculture was based on slash and burn farming which required that a field be left fallow for 5 to 15 years after only 2 to 5 years of cultivation.

Famous Sites

Althun Ha (Water of the Rock)
The ruins of Altun Ha are famous for many reasons. Here they found a Jade Head. The largest carved jade object in the whole Maya area that represented the Sun God, Kinich Ahau. It is a national symbol of Belize, Althun Ha was a major ceremonial center in the Classic Period (250-900 A.D.) and functioned as vital trading center linking the Caribbean shores with other Maya centers in the interior. Althun Ha is located 31 miles north of Belize City.

Chechem Ha Cave
According to my source it says "Several years ago, owner Antonio Morales stumbled on this cave while chasing some stray cattle through the rainforest. Gooing inside, he found an extensive catacomb with niches full of ancient Mayan pots. Archaeologists from Belmopan removed a few of the most important pieces for study, but decided to leave the rest intact." And this is how the Cheche Ha Cave was found.

Nohmul(Great Mound) According to source, it says "Nohmul is a major ceremonial center spread among private owned sugar cane fields near the village of San Pablo, about 7 miles north of Orang Walk Town. The site which is located on a limestone ridge and consists of two groups of buildings incorporating ten plazas and connected by a sacbe, or raised causeway. Nohmul was occupied first during the Pre-Classic era (350 B.C. to A.D. 250) and again during the Late Classical period (A.D. 600 to 900). At the height, the community was the seat of government for an area encompassing 8 square miles and including the nearby settlements now known as San Esteban and San Luis."

Mayan Games

Even the ancient mayas had fun in their time. They had courts for their ritual ball-game were constructed throughtout the Maya realm and often on a grand scale. The ball court was enclosed on two sides by stepped ramps that led to ceremonial platforms or small temples, it has also been said that the ball court itself was of a capital/shape and could be found in all but the smallest of Maya cities.
   

Mayan Inventions

  
According to my source it says "Archaelogical evidense shows the Maya had started to build ceremonial architecture by approximately 1000 B.C. There is some disagreement about the boundaries which differentiate the physical and cultural extent of the eaqrly Maya and their neighboring Pre-Classica Mesoamerican civilizations, such as the Olmec culture of the Tabasco lowlands and the Mixe-Zoque and Zapotec speaking peoples of Chipas and southern Oaxaca.

The mayans lack many things to build structures such as "metal tools, pulleys, and maybe even the wheel." The mayans had stone that appeared to have been taken from a quarry. They used limestone most of the time, it was pliable enough to be worked with stone tools while being quarried, and only hardened once it was removed. They also used crushed, burnt, and mixed limestone which was like a cement and it was being used for stucco finishing.