The Popol Vuh is a written documentation of Maya oral history, containing a series of narratives that preserve Mayan myth, deities, religious practices, as well as ethical views and beliefs about the world. Popol Vuh translates into ‘Council Book,’ and is believed to have been used by leaders to consult during times of crisis and deliberation. Although the book is myth, it describes how everything became to exist on earth, how human life began, what to expect after death, and the gods who created
today's society as it was before. In the Popol Vuh maize is an important concept and symbol that expands to ideas that many anthropologists and professionals cannot understand completely. Yet, when reading the Popol Vuh there are many examples of when maize is used to represent its importance. Maize is the most important idea in the Popol Vuh because it provides food, it results in wealth, it represents a political system and it shows hierarchy. In the Popol Vuh maize
archetypes have been either very noticeable or farther under the surface, the stories, poems and folklore are not all the same by any means but they do have some similarities besides the fact that they are all old. Ranging from The Odyssey to The Popol Vuh. The way of describing which archetype is in the stories is by thinking of an onion, that layer by layer seeing the archetype is more under the surface than the last, so the most significate is a scapegoat that is within all six stories. The scapegoat
zooarchaeological record. Moreover, deer are an excellent example of how zooarchaeological data can substantiate claims based on the ethnohistorical record. For example, the claims that juvenile deer were specifically sacrificed based on legends from the Popol Vuh and first-hand accounts by the Spanish are strengthened by the zooarchaeological record which also shows the preferential use of juvenile deer. Ritual Use of Animals: Dog Dogs are another large mammal that are frequently found at Maya sites. However
While the European continent was entrenched in the horrors of the Dark Ages, the Mayan culture was thriving. Not only did the Mayans create a complicated written language, they had far exceeded the Europeans in their study and mapping of the stars and planets, mathematics, and architecture. What happened to the Mayan people? How did they come to be? Why was this isolated culture so advanced? The disappearance of the great Mayan civilization is as much a mystery as its growth. As the other civilization
language. Next, I will examine the connection between cacao and ancient Maya religion, which is the basis for its importance to the Maya culture. I will then discuss the ritual and ceremonial significance of cacao and its forms of use, based on the analysis of Maya hieroglyphs and iconography, as well as ethnohistorical, ethnographic, and other historical accounts, and the recent research by archaeologists who have found cacao residues in ancient pottery. The cacao tree (Theobroma cacao L.) is native