Maya culture in the pre-classic age was dynamically evolving. This evolution was not in isolation from outside influence. The Maya were influenced by external communities by the Gulf Coast Olmec presence, and the inspiration of contact with the Central Mexican Teotihuacan, in the middle to late Pre-Classic period. The Olmec and Teotihuacan impact on Maya culture is broad and permeated many different aspects of daily life. Contact with outsiders selectively transformed the Maya’s political and ceremonial life by altering their social hierarchy, religious practices, art, and architecture- which is exemplified through numerous examples of archeological and textual evidence. Around 1400 B.C., the Southern Gulf Coast experienced new changes …show more content…
to society in the form of stone monuments and crafted ‘portable objects’. It is important to note that there is evidence that the Maya lagged behind the Olmec in regards to development. The Classic Maya, by Houston and Inomata, points out an important piece of evidence to suggest the Maya adopted practices from the Olmec peoples of the Gulf Coast. It states: “When the lowland Maya had barely begun to establish village life or make ceramics, the Gulf Coast Olmec already had large settlements with impressive stone monuments.” (Houston and Inomata, 66) The Gulf Coast was more advanced than the Maya in architecture. While the Maya had just started to live communally and create pottery, the Olmec’s had developed a complex, large civilization with stone structures. This sets the stage that the Maya were somehow “behind” other cultures of the region developmentally. Additionally, “There is rising evidence that the Gulf Coast Olmec had more pronounced social stratification and political centralization.” (Houston and Inomata, 71) The Maya lacked the collective organization and political structure the Olmec utilized. Consequently, if contact can be proven, it is only logical that the civilizations would share details on the different ways they operate. Contact between the Maya and the highland cultures is supported by archeological evidence. The first piece of evidence lies in recovered ceramics and stone monuments. The Classic Maya discusses the support for such claims: “The concepts of ruler ship mirrored in stone monuments in various parts of Mesoamerica were most likely inspired by either direct or indirect contact the the Gulf Coast Olmec…Some ceramic vessels were carved with common Olmec motifs, such as the ‘flame-eyebrow’ and ‘hand wing.’” (Houston and Inomata 72) Contact between the Olmec and the Maya is established through new evidence of Olmec influence on Maya stone monuments. Unique Olmec imagery is emulated via the designs on Maya ceramic vessels. Additionally, architectural evidence supports contact with the Teotihuacan of Mexico. David Stewart suggests exactly this in The Arrival of Strangers. At the Maya site of Tikal, one particular glyph provides important contact evidence. A glyph was found depicting the death of the ‘spear thrower owl’: “The spear thrower owl is a distinctly highland weapon, and the owl is strongly associated with militaristic themes in Teotihuacan iconography.” The glyph directly ties the Maya to central Mexico through imagery, mythology, and history. The most striking monument connection to the Teotihuacan is “Stela 31.” The sculpted monument is engraved with the image of “Mexican individuals.” Stewart describes the monument: “It’s image of a warrior in Teotihuacan dress grasping a rectangular shield and an atlatl…together with an assortment of other material evidence, it was clear by the mid-1960s that Teotihuacan played a very important and highly visible role in Early Classic Tikal's political and ceremonial life.” At the very least, this evidence suggests a Maya interaction with, interest in, and visual documentation of Mexican ceremonial culture. The evidence does not indicate total control pervasion of other cultures on the Maya.
It seems that they selectively adopted practices of the Olmec and Teotihuacan. One social aspect of life that was influenced by outside influence was religious practices. “At the least, Olmec styles and traits reflect specific religious beliefs and elite ideologies.” (Houston and Inomata 71) The changes to Maya religion is evidenced by cruciform caches. Olmec style jade pieces were found in caches the Yucatan. “Andrews (1986) believes [the jade] to be imported from the Olmec heartland in the late Middle Pre-Classic period…These data suggest to Andrews that there were direct contacts between the Olmec heartlands and the Northern Maya lowlands.” (Houston and Inomata 84) The existence of Olmec jade pieces in Maya possession is a solid link between their cultures. This is directly interrelated with ritual practices, and likely religious …show more content…
ideas. The adoption of Mayan style architecture is seen through the development of “E-Group” complexes.
The E-Group complex emulation is evident in the Maya lowlands. “This architectural formation was invented by the Gulf Coast Olmec and spread to the East.” (Houston and Inomata 84) The layout of the Maya E-Group complex is characterized by its particular arrangement of plazas and platforms, comparable to a site in the Gulf Coast called Chiapas. The presence of the Olmec jade pieces and imitation of the E-Group architectural layout at the same site has comprehensive implications. “The presence of a cruciform cache with greenstone celts in the E-Group plaza suggests that architectural forms did not simply result from casual imitation, but, rather, accompanied ritual practices, and, possibly, religious ideas comparable to those of Chiapas and the Gulf Coast.” (Houston and Inomata 84) Due to the fact that the jade was present in a particular part of the new E-Group layout, it is likely that they embraced Olmec style religious rituals as well as mirroring their architecture. The specific arrangement of the cache strongly suggests shared religious practices, which huge implications for Maya
culture. Social hierarchy was influenced by outside cultures. The shift from egalitarian to a hierarchal society indicates inspiration from the Olmec. A class of “elites” was formed. While they didn’t impose any economic control on the people, the elites manipulated society by controlling information from outsiders. “The exclusive access to the knowledge of religion, to supernatural power, and to materials brought from distant places distinguished elites from the rest of society, and provided morally defensible and naturalized means of legitimization.” (Houston and Inomata 102) The elite would make public spectacles of the resources and information they learned from outsiders. This acted as propaganda to gain the peoples support of a new, hierarchal society. The influence from outside cultures was critical to the establishment of a Maya Elite class, and transformed their previously egalitarian society. In conclusion, The Olmec and Teotihuacan influence on Maya culture is comprehensive and permeated many different aspects of daily life. Contact with outsiders selectively altered the Maya’s political and ceremonial life by changing their social hierarchy, religious practices, art, and architecture- which is exemplified through numerous examples of archeological and textual evidence. The Olmec were more advanced that the Maya in areas of social development, ceramics, and architecture. The Maya emulated selective aspects of Olmec society: their E-Group architectural layout, their ceramic vessel styles, and religious rituals. The most influential impact on Maya society from outsiders was the establishment of a hierarchal society and an elite class. The elite utilized exclusive access to knowledge from outsiders to proliferate their influence and powers. Outside cultures played an essential role in the development of not only Maya art and architecture, but their entire social and religious structure. One can only imagine how different Maya history would have been, if they were not influenced by external forces such as the Olmec and the Teotihuacan. Today, this concept is extremely relevant, because we are constantly emulating and learning from global differences in modern culture- most notably this can be exemplified in the area of technology.
The Mayans lived in Southern Mexico and Central America in their capital, Tikal, which is in present day Guatemala. The Mayans were known for their engineering, one structure they were famous for is their pyramid temple in Tikal (Document 1). This pyramid was the tallest structure in the Americas up until the 20th century and is still standing today. The government must have been strong and well organized in order to carry out such a large task. The Mayan religion had multiple gods and this pyramid was most likely devoted to one or used as a place for sacrifices. Another accomplishment of the Mayans was the creation of their calendar. An extra document that would be useful is one that explains how the calendar was created. The Mayans must have studied astronomy and math to a great length. Similar to the Ancient Egyptians, they wrote with symbols and pictures known as glyphs that were used in the calendar. These glyphs were gods, such as Zotz (Document 2). The use of glyphs is an acknowledgement of a writing system, which is another accomplishment.
The Yucatan food was developed or people who were involved in developing it, were Mayans. Maya culture was component of this self-determining evolutionary process. Located in eastern Meso-america, the Maya flourished in a varied homeland of Mexico. The Maya produced bountiful harvests of food from a diverse and productive agricultural structure that incorporated irrigation, & drained fields in shallow lakes. “Religious festivals are a part of life in Yucatan. Every city, and state have its own specific festivals throughout
The people of early Mesoamerica had an abundance of different foods. One main food they had though in the 3 main groups (Aztecs, Olmecs, and Mayans) was maize. Maize is a corn like plant derived from teosinte that was domesticated around seven thousand B.C. to five thousand B.C.. Maize was about seventy percent of the Mesoamerican diet and around twenty one percent was meat . The Olmec’s had corn, beans, squash, and chili peppers (194). Each of their food items went in to a balanced diet of carbs, minerals, and vitamins. According to Concise Thematic Analysis “The Olmec system produced a food surplus that freed members of the community to take on specialized roles” (194) which just goes to show how much was around for them. Mayans ate corn and beans as their most important part of their diets, but also had some small domestic meats such as dog, turkey, duck, and fish. The Mayans also had honey and alcoholic drinks made from a stingless bee. The Aztecs had a good variety of plant foods as well with maize topping the charts of their diet with having other stable foods such as sweet potatoes, tomatoes, beans chilies, squashes (also big in their diet), carrots, etc. They also, had a lot of animals to choose from but they did not
The Maya and Aztec civilizations were both indigenous people that flourished in Mesoamerica during different periods of time. Maya 's classic period is dated from 250 to 900 AD, which was considered to be the peak of their civilization. They covered much of the Yucatan Peninsula and were centered in what is now known as Guatemala. The Aztecs dominated from 1325 AD to 1521 AD, in what is now modern day Mexico. Although they shared cultural similarities such as their social structure, they also had their differences in military and religious rituals.
The Maya didn’t discover metallurgy until late in the Classic period and used it only to produce jewelry and decorations for the elite. Artists and their numerous assistants cut and filled the stones used for palaces, pyramids, and housing, aided only by levers and stone tools. Each wave of construction represented the mobilization of thousands of laborers.
Architecture, like many things, can also be made for the use of or inspired by the symbols people believe in. Therefore, art and architecture in Ancient Mesoamerica can be stated to be made for the use of religious symbols. Making architecture and art forms takes effort, dedication, and patience. Architecture can take years to make, as was s...
The Maya were an advanced society, rich and full extraordinary architecture with great complexity of patterns and variety of expressions, that flourished in Mesoamerica long before the arrival of the Spanish in the sixteenth century. They were skilled architects, building prodigious cities of primarily of limestone that remain a thousand years after their civilization fell into decline. Greatness and Grandeur was the signature of all Mayan cities, from the terminal pre-classic period and continued until the abandonment of all the city states by the beginning of the ninth century. The Maya built pyramids, temples, palaces, walls, residences and more. The limestone structures, faced with lime stucco, were the hallmark of ancient Maya architecture.
The Olmecs are the earliest known Mesoamerican civilization. Around 1200 B.C. the Olmecs originated as a primitive people living and farming on the shores of Mexico (Stanton 91). Soon, however, they began to build cities such as San Lorenzo, La Venta, and Monte Alban. These “cities” were religious centers where people gathered to worship, and were not populated (Stanton 91). The first of these centers, San Lorenzo, was built c. 1150 B.C., on a flat topped, man-made mountain. It was mysteriously abandoned 200 years later (Stanton 92-93). La Venta, built between 1000 and 600 B.C., sat on an island in a swamp (Stanton 93). Later, around 500 B.C., Monte Alban, which was used as a religious center even after the Olmecs faded, was built on an immense mountain (Stanton 93). The cities were made up of temples and plazas, and decorated by monumental stone heads, which weighed up to 50 tons (Stanton 93)! These heads probably represented their early kings and had distinct helmets (Kingfisher 32). It is incredible how the Olmec people transported the stone from the distant mountains to La Venta, near the shore, without the aid of work animals or carts. It appears that the Olmecs did this grueling work for their gods willingly, as there is no evidence of forced labor (Stanton 93). The Olmecs probably worshipped the jaguar, as it appears so often in their artwork. There are also many e...
North of the progressing Maya, in the area of modern day Tabasco, Mexico, the Olmec culture was advancing. The presence of these Olmecs would have a profound impact on Maya society and culture. The early Maya began trading and interacting with the more advanced Olmec over a prolonged period. This contact altered the Maya way of life in almost every aspect.
Boulder: University Press of Colorado, 2009. Print. The. Houston, Stephen. A. “Classic Maya Religion: Beliefs and practices of an Ancient American People.”
Near 1800 B.C, the Maya people found settlement within Teotihuacan territory and quickly became known as one of the most dominant indigenous societies within Mesoamerica. Best known for their agricultural skills, pottery work, hieroglyphic writing, mathematics and of course calender making this civilization. However, the Maya were the regional groups of Olmec heritage who were the first major Mesoamerican civilization.(Grahm, Liz. 2014) In 1500 B.C, the Olmecs began the effective cultivation of the crops of corn, beans, chili peppers and cotton, along which they established fine arts and the use of symbols to record history. Due to the Olmecs innovative talents at the time, they were also able to branch off and establish other cities.
This suggests that, in the Maya civilization of the Classic period, Teotihuacan was understood as a Place of Reeds similar to other Postclassic Central Mexican settlements that took the name of Tollan, such as Tula-Hidalgo and Cholula. This naming convention led to much confusion in the early 20th century, as scholars debated whether Teotihuacan or Tula-Hidalgo was the Tollan described by 16th-century chronicles. It now seems clear that Tollan may be understood as a generic Nahua term applied to any large settlement. In the Mesoamerican concept of Urbanism, Tollan and other language equivalents serve as a metaphor, linking the bundles of reeds and rushes that formed part of the lacustrine environment of the Valley of Mexico and the large gathering of people in a city.
The European and Mayan civilizations had inverse experiences during the Classical era, but they were similar in some aspects. While the Mayans were basking in their glorious success as a civilization, the Europeans stood in their shadow. However, after the Renaissance Era, it was as if the Mayans stood in the shadow of the European revival. These two societies have a definite inverse relationship, in that while one was succeeding, the other was squandering. For example, the forward thinking of the Mayans and their knowledge of arithmetic and science was overshadowed by the revolutionary ideas created by European scientists, the fact that the Mayans had created a complex, and accurate calendar wasn’t nearly as celebrated as a European man who got hit by an apple.
The Maya were influenced by other civilizations, particularly the Olmec. The Olmec lived in the jungle areas on the eastern coast of Mexico. The Maya adapted and developed ideas they had learned from the Olmec. For example, the Maya adapted the Olmec writing system and they refined Olmec building techniques. Mayan society during the Classic period was composed of numerous independent states.
Maya civilization was based mainly on agriculture and religion. Maya every day life revolved around an innumerable number of earth Gods. The most important God was chief, ruler of all Gods. The Mayans prayed to these God’s particularly about their crops. For example, they prayed to the Rain God to nourish their crops. They practiced their religion during ceremonies conducted by priests. They also practiced confession and even fasted before important ceremonies (Gann and Thompson 1931 118-138). The Mayans also b...