All About: Mysterious Maya

By P S Quick

This book, filled with amazing facts and photographs, gives an in-depth account of what life was like for the ancient Maya of Mesoamerica. It explains how everyday life was influenced by religion and describes the evidence that has been gathered to support ideas.

As well as religion and mythology it covers society, government, law, farming, industry, technology, science, mathematics, writing, cities and much more.

The ‘All About’ series is an educational collection of books by P S Quick, and is targeted to interest children of 9 to 12+ but will fascinate readers of all ages. At the end of each book there is a quiz section for the reader, featuring 150 questions and answers.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Acorn Books
• Release date: Nov 17, 2015
• ISBN: 9781785383205

Book preview

Title Page

ALL ABOUT

Mysterious Maya

P S Quick

Publisher Information

Published in 2015 by

Andrews UK Limited

www.andrewsuk.com

The right of P S Quick to be identified as the Author of this Work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1998

Copyright © 2015 P S Quick

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. Any person who does so may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

Introduction

This book, filled with amazing facts and photographs, gives an in-depth account of what life was like for the ancient Maya of Mesoamerica. It explains how everyday life was influenced by religion and describes the evidence that has been gathered to support ideas.

As well as religion and mythology it covers society, government, law, farming, industry, technology, science, mathematics, writing, cities and much more.

The ‘All About’ series is an educational collection of books by P S Quick, and is targeted to interest children of 9 to 12+ but will fascinate readers of all ages. At the end of each book there is a quiz section for the reader, featuring 150 questions and answers.

Ancient Civilizations of Mesoamerica

Mesoamerica is the area in Central America that covers the countries of Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras and the northern part of Costa Rica.

Some of the world’s greatest ancient civilizations lived here and in South America. They include the Olmecs, Mayas, Incas and Aztecs, yet we know little about them compared to those who lived in other parts of the world. Each civilization was quite different.

The Maya, who eventually settled in modern day Mexico, were believed to be the longest lasting Mesoamerican civilization with evidence that dates them back to 2600 BC. However, it wasn’t until later years when they built their great cities that they rose in importance to become one of the most intriguing and influential cultures.

Although they were not the first people in Mesoamerica the Olmecs were the first major civilization to become established there flourishing for about 1000 years from around 1400/1200 BC to 400 BC.

As far as we know the Olmecs did not build any major cities but their civilization has been traced to south-central Mexico mainly in the modern states of Veracruz and Tabasco. They build the Great Pyramid at La Venta and are also famous for their colossal representations of human heads that were carved from basalt.

The Olmec Pyramid at La Venta, Mexico

As well as farming the land successfully the Olmecs were talented mathematicians, astronomers and artists who wrote using hieroglyphics. Few scripts are available so much of our knowledge comes from architectural evidence.

The Inca civilization was a later civilization that became established much further away in the Andes mountains and the land we know today as Peru. This civilization dates back to around 1200 BC. Although the Incas created one of the largest empires in the world it only lasted for about 300 years because it was destroyed by the Spanish explorers who were led by Francesco Pizarro. In this short time however they became the most advanced civilization.

The Incas built a network of roads, bridges and tunnels in order to govern their extensive empire. Their talented engineers were able to overcome numerous challenges. Many roads were so well built they survive today. They also had a complicated system of irrigation channels to carry water to the areas where it was needed that was well ahead of its time.

The Incas had a system of laws and also a large army to protect the people within their empire yet they never invented a system of writing. Instead they used knotted ropes, known as quipu, for their record keeping. The empire came to an end in 1533 AD when the last emperor was killed by the Spanish conquistadors.

The Aztec civilization is probably the best known Mexican civilization although it was neither the oldest nor the longest lasting. It was however the most powerful civilization that had ever existed in Central America and covered a huge area of land, stretching from the Pacific coast to the Gulf of Mexico and from Central Mexico into the land that is known as Guatemala today.

The Aztecs founded their city of Tenochtitlan in 1325 AD. It eventually became their capital but the Aztec empire was different from other empires because it was a collection of city states. The Aztecs were not as advanced as the Incas but did have a calendar and used hieroglyphics. Research has shown that they were influenced by the Maya culture. Like the Incas the Aztecs were also conquered by the Spanish. Their empire came to an end in 1521 AD.

Origins of the Early Maya

The ancient Maya created a sophisticated civilization that influenced many other cultures and civilizations yet their history, including their origin and demise, is shrouded in mystery.

Unlike many of the other native peoples of Central and Southern America the Maya civilization was not scattered over vast areas but located in the Yucatán Peninsula, the Mexican states of Tabasco and Chiapas, Guatemala, Belize and the western parts of Honduras and El Salvador.

Map of part of Mesoamerica where the Maya lived

These places formed three main areas where the Maya lived. Each