Mayan Beliefs

The mayans established a government.Some people believed they had god like rulers.However, they had kings and nobles.Sometimes they had women rulers.The kings and nobles lived inside the city in large stone palaces.The kings and nobles had everything provided for them.To go along with that they had slaves that carried them wherever they wanted to go.

The mayans practiced a religion with many gods.The Mayans worshiped in temples and pyramids.A few of their gods names were Kisim,Chak,Hun Hunahpu,and Huracan.Kisim was the god of death and decay.Chak was he god said to rule the rain.Hun Hunahpu was the corn god.The god know as Huracan was believed to be the creator of earth.Huracan is also referred to as the heart of the sky or the heart of

heaven.Also, Huracan is the god of the wind and the sky.

The Mayans accomplished many achievements.The Mayan had two calendars.One was called the Sacred Round,the other was called the Civil Caledar.In their calendar they had two hundred and sixty days.Their cakenda r also consisted of thirteen monthe with twenty days in each.their language was made up of about eight hundred symbols.The Mayans could wright each word about three or for different ways.

The Mayans had many crops that they traded.A few of the crops that they grew and traded were corn,peppers,sweet potatoes,avocados,and tomatoes.They also grew garlic and onions.They had livestock,and their livestock consisted of dogs,ducks, and turkeys.Aside from livestock they got food from hunting and fishing.The animals they they hunted were deer and wild pig.

The mayans had many cities throughout Central America.The civilization was based around Mexico,Belize,El Salvador,and Honduras.some of their cities were Tikal,Dos Pilas,Caracol,and Calakmul.Their buildings were pyramids, palaces,temples,and huts.They were founded in Mesoamerica and did not have a founder.

The mayans died out because of two different reasons.The Mayans civilization was founded in two 250 and lasted more than two thousand years.Although explorers and researchers have a good idea we don’t really know how they died out.Some people believe they died out from war,others believe they died out because of a

drought.

Most Mayans life was on the farm.Many of the Mayans were farmers.The first thing the wife did in the morning was start a fire and begin cooking.Both men and women wore skirts.The wealthy wore colorful clothes from animal skin,also they wore fancy jewelry and feather headdresses.When it was cold they would wrap a blanket around them.They practiced astronomy and human sacrifice.Also they had their own ball game with seven people on team.

There were a couple of explorers that studied the Mayan history.John Lloyd Stephens and Frederick Catherwood are two explorers that are linked to the Mayan civilization.John Lloyd Stephens was born on November 28,1805 in New Jersey.Frederick Catherwood was born on February 27,1799 in London.These explorers studied the Mayan civilization.Frederick Catherwood wrote a book about the Mayans,and his book consisted of pictures of ancient monuments in Central America.All though they were not the first to explore the Mayan civilization they were the first to visit many of the cities.Also,they were the first to document what they found.