The Genius of the Maya

The Genius of the Maya — page 1 — THE Maya Who The Maya were a large group of people who lived in southern Mexico and Central America for approximately one thousand years The Maya civilization reached its height between 250 C E and 900 C E during a time in history known as the Classic Period The Maya territory was divided into city-states that each had their own ruler However people in all the city-states shared a common language culture and religion This map shows the location of some of the most important Maya cities across southern Mexico and Central America 4

The Genius of the Maya — page 2 — What happened Around 900 the Maya civilization began to decline in many southern areas Experts aren’t sure why but it may have been due to crop failure loss of fertile land or disease In the 1500s Spanish invaders took over Central America and destroyed most aspects of Maya life However Maya culture survives today in a few areas and approximately 6 million people still speak Mayan languages This statue made in 732 is located in Copán Honduras It shows a Maya ruler named Waxaklajuun Ub’aah K’awiil The stunning architecture of the Maya city of Palenque can still be seen today 5

The Genius of the Maya — page 3 — wow rulers kings AND revered genius society Each Maya city-state was ruled over by a king Maya kings were considered to be all-powerful and were believed to be the connection between ordinary people and the gods Role of a ruler Maya rulers inherited their role through their family The role of a king was to rule the city-state making decisions about trade and war and welcoming important visitors from other areas They also took part in religious ceremonies and rituals In these ceremonies and rituals the Maya believed that the king communicated with the gods on their behalf Queens occasionally ruled Maya city-states f there was no male heir a female member of the royal family ruled as queen or if she had a son as regent until he was old enough to take over This section of a Maya pot is decorated with an image of a king meeting two visitors The visitors have brought gifts of fruit 6

The Genius of the Maya — page 4 — Names and dates From records kept by the Maya we know the names and dates of many rulers They carved important information on stones and wrote it in books called codices One of the most famous Maya kings was Pakal the Great He ruled the city-state of Palenque from 615 to 683 Pakal ordered the construction of many grand buildings in the city the remains of which can still be seen today Maya hierarchy Maya society was a hierarchy based on importance The king was at the top followed by the royal family members of the elite and the rest of society This statue shows a member of the elite dressed in his finest jewelry Members of the elite were born into noble families and often worked alongside the king Pakal the Great was buried wearing a mask and jewelry made from jade Pakal’s tomb was discovered in 1952 in a temple in Palenque In this statue a warrior wears a snake around his neck to symbolize strength king royal family the elite scribes merchants generals and priests craftspeople and warriors farmers and laborers enslaved people and prisoners of war 7

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