Southern Maya Area

Examples of Southern Maya Area in the following topics:

• The Preclassic Period of the Maya

  • Though the exact starting date of Mayan civilization is unclear, there were Mayan language speakers in the Southern Maya Area by 2000 BCE.
  • Around this time, the Olmec culture began to emerge in nearby Tabasco, granting the early Maya an important trading partner and beginning a period of prolonged contact that would have profound effects on Maya society and artistic production.
  • The Maya also developed the concept of the number zero during this era.
  • In fact, the Maya remained an essential part of the region.
  • By 2000 BCE, there were speakers of Mayan languages in the Southern Maya Area.

• The Classic Period of the Maya

  • The political, economic, and culturally dominant "core" Maya units of the Classic Maya world system were located in the central lowlands, while the corresponding peripheral Maya units were found along the margins of the southern highland and northern lowland areas.
  • But as in all world systems, the Maya core centers shifted through time, starting out during Preclassic times in the southern highlands, moving to the central lowlands during the Classic period, and finally shifting to the northern peninsula during the Postclassic period.
  • The palace at Cancuén is the largest in the Maya area, but the site has no pyramids.
  • The Classic Maya Collapse refers to the decline of the Maya Classic Period and abandonment of the Classic Period Maya cities of the southern Maya lowlands of Mesoamerica between the 8th and 9th centuries.
  • The classic Maya urban centers of the southern lowlands, among them Palenque, Copán, Tikal, Calakmul, and many others, went into decline during the 8th and 9th centuries and were abandoned shortly thereafter.

• The Decline of the Maya

  • Maya cities during this era were dispersed settlements, often centered around the temples or palaces of a ruling dynasty or elite in that particular area.
  • The area degenerated into competing city-states until the Spanish arrived in the Yucatán and shifted the power dynamics.
  • Though less visible during this era, Postclassic Maya states also continued to survive in the southern highlands.
  • However, it was a time of technological advancement in areas of architecture, engineering, and weaponry.
  • However, the Yucatán does not offer rich mining opportunities, and some areas were difficult to navigate because of the dense jungle environment.

• Architecture of the Maya

  • The Maya had complex architectural programs.
  • The Maya civilization which had emerged during the late Preclassic period (250 BCE-250 CE), reached its peak in the southern lowlands of Guatemala during the Classic period (250-900 CE), and shifted to northern Yucatan during the Postclassic period (900-1521 CE).
  • As the focus of Maya civilization shifted northward in the Postclassic period, a northern Maya group called the Itza rose to prominence.
  • The parallel platforms flanking the main playing area are each 312 ft long.
  • Maya culture, late 7th century.

• Cultures of Mesoamerica

  • Maya culture reached its peak during the Classical period (ca. 200–900 CE).
  • They built imposing pyramids, temples, palaces, and administrative structures in densely populated cities in southern Mesoamerica.
  • In Maya culture, we also see one of the earliest systems of art patronage.
  • The Maya were among the most advanced cultures of Mesoamerica.
  • The Temple is one of four structures commissioned by the Maya ruler Lord Pakal.

• Meso-American Culture

  • From c. 600 CE, the Nahua quickly rose to power in the places where they had settled in central Mexico and expanded into areas earlier occupied by Oto-Manguean, Totonacan, and Huastec peoples.
  • The Maya civilization was a Meso-American civilization developed by the Maya peoples in an area that encompasses southeastern Mexico, all of Guatemala and Belize, as well as the western portions of Honduras and El Salvador.
  • The establishment of the first complex societies in the Maya region, including cultivation of the staple crops of the Maya diet—maize, beans, squashes, and chili peppers—occurred in the Preclassic period c. 2000 BCE to 250 CE.
  • Since the early Preclassic period, Maya society was divided into elite and common classes.
  • The supernatural pervaded every aspect of Maya life, and Maya deities governed all aspects of the world.

• Conclusion: Pre-Colonial Development of North America

  • Agriculture was not practiced within the Great Basin itself, although it was practiced in adjacent areas.
  • At one time, the Pacific Coast was the most densely populated indigenous area in North America.
  • The Maya civilization was a Meso-American civilization developed by the Maya peoples in an area that encompasses southeastern Mexico, all of Guatemala and Belize, as well as the western portions of Honduras and El Salvador.
  • Since the early Preclassic period, Maya society was divided into elite and common classes.
  • The Mexica migrated to present-day central Mexico and created a triple alliance with other dominant tribes in the area.

• Ceramcis of the Veracruz

  • The Veracruz people produced a variety of these small clay figures in multiple areas around the modern state of Veracruz, Mexico.
  • The modern state of Veracruz lies along the Mexican Gulf Coast, north of the Maya lowlands and east of the highlands of central Mexico.
  • Knotted ties, like those around this player's wrist and neck, in Maya pictorial language connote captured prisoners.
  • A motif similar to the Maya mat, a symbol of rulership, appears on the flanged headdress of the ballplayer.
  • Like Maya figurines of this type, the body of this figure is a whistle, a musical instrument used in ritual and ceremony.

• Teotihuacan

  • Archaeological evidence suggests that Teotihuacan was a multi-ethnic city, with distinct quarters occupied by Otomi, Totonac, Zapotec, Mixtec, Maya, and Nahua peoples.
  • Many Maya murals represent Teotihucuan and the leaders of the city during its zenith.
  • The founders of this religious and populous city remain a mystery to scholars of the area.
  • There is also evidence that at least some of the people living in Teotihuacan immigrated from those areas influenced by the Teotihuacano civilization, including the Zapotec, Mixtec, and Maya peoples.
  • This area was a large plaza surrounded by temples that formed the religious and political center of the city.

• The Zapotec

  • The religious and cultural city of Monte Albán had become the largest city in what are today the southern Mexican highlands.
  • These areas developed regional centers of power with distinct leaders and linguistic dialects.
  • This writing system is thought to be one of the first writing systems of Mesoamerica and a predecessor of those developed by the Maya, Mixtec, and Aztec civilizations.