Journal Entry To The Yucatan

Throughout the humanities course, I have been intrigued by a vast amount of information on different cultures. However, there was a particular section that truly caught my attention, and has piqued an interest in me that has caused me to do my own research aside from this paper. The culture of the Mayas, and the Aztecs has been extremely fundamental in understanding my ancestry, being that I am Mexican American. I took an interest in their beautiful architecture, their ritualistic and sacrificial religious practices, as well as their history and how they began. Throughout this paper I will outline the similarities and differences of these two cultures, as well as articulate an understanding of the humanity disciplines outlined above.

The Aztec and Maya were both American Indian people. The Aztec were ruled by a mighty empire in Mexico during the 1400's and early 1500's. The Maya however, developed a magnificent civilization in Central America and Southern Mexico. Both civilizations contributed a great deal to the modern world and invented items that are still used today.

Aztec society had four main classes: nobles, commoners, serfs, and slaves. The nobles usually held high military offices and government positions. However, nobles were also teachers, priests, and bureaucratic officials. The nobles controlled most of the wealth in Aztec society. Obviously, their lifestyles were different and more luxurious than those of the commoners and slaves .

The book Ambivalent Conquests, by Inga Clendinnen, is very illuminating read for anyone wanting to know more about the events between the Spaniards and the Maya peoples of the Yucatan Peninsula. The book is separated into two separate parts: the Spaniard and the Indians. In the Spaniards section, Clendinnen wrote of the arrival of the Spanish in search of gold, and the attempts of the Christianization by missionaries. The second part, Indians, covered the way the Maya viewed the Spaniards arrival and following attempts of Christianization. The overall theme of the book was the continuing idolatry by the Mayans in the eyes of the Franciscans who tried to Christianize them and the actions taken by the Franciscans as a response.

The Maya of Mesoamerica, along with the Aztecs of Mexico and the Incas of Peru, made up the high civilizations of the American Indians at the time of the Spanish conquest. Both the Aztecs and the Incas were late civilizations, between 1300-1533 AD, but the Maya of the Yucatan and Guatemala exhibited a cultural continuity spanning more than 2,000 years, 1000 BC-AD 1542. Many aspects of this culture continue yet today. The Ancient Maya in their time had actually refined writing.

Contrary to popular belief, the Mayan civilization was not one unified empire, but rather a multitude of separate entities with a common cultural background. Similar to the Greeks, they were religiously and artistically a nation, but politically sovereign states. As many as twenty such states existed on the Yucatan Peninsula, but although a woman has, on rare occasions, ascended to the ruling position, she has never acquired the title of 'mah kina' (one of the highest titles that can be achieved)(Encarta).

The vertical hierarchy of Maya culture was particularly strict and clear, organized by; nobles, commoners, serfs, and slaves (Carlton Law Staff). This distinct characteristic was shared throughout many structures that made up the Maya culture. The law surrounding family, marriage, and divorce was not written in stone or bound by paper. The law was based on the customs of the Maya (Carlton Law Staff). Maya men and women were married normally within their twenties but the range could also include as young as sixteen

When we had landed at that island which I have a few seconds ago said was called Juana, I continued along its coast towards the west for some separation; I discovered it so expansive and without discernible end, that I trusted it to be not an island, but rather the mainland nation of Cathay; seeing, in any case, no towns or urban areas arranged on the ocean coast, however just a few towns and inconsiderate ranches, with whose tenants I was not able chat, in light of the fact that when they saw us they took off. I continued more distant, believing that I would find some city or vast homes. Finally, seeing that we

Inga Clendinnen book, Ambivalent Conquests: Maya and Spaniard in Yucatan, 1517-1570 is centered on the Spanish incursion of the Yucatan Peninsula, affects on Mayan civilization, and the Spanish struggles in controlling these people. In the beginning, Clendinnen focus here attention on the initial attempts and then eventual success of the Spaniards to solidify themselves within the Yucatan Peninsula. She goes into a detailed backdrop of why many Spaniards were financially forced to look for new lands and peoples to conquer, how they came into the Yucatan, and then eventually their initial disappointment and failure. However, the Mayan victory was short lived as

The Classic Maya was a time of great expansion in the Yucatan peninsula. Socially impactful art, massive architecture, and thriving complex societies. Across the swath of time that was the Classic Maya, there were great rulers that defined cities. Pakal in Palenque, Tahn Te ' K 'inich in Acqueteca, several kings in Tikal, and several other cities all possessed great leaders that created stability. The Terminal Classic period was when most all central power, across the Yucatan, was disrupted. There were cities that were totally abandoned, cities where people dwelled outside of but all activity within the city had halted, and a general loss of central power. While it can be puzzling to understand what created the "shift," or "collapse" from

The ancient Maya were a group of American Indian peoples who lived in Southern Mexico. Their descendants, the modern Maya,live in the same regions today.

Massive temples hidden in the jungles of the Yucatan, mysterious stone stelas, and cryptic calendars eluding to advanced knowledge of the stars and mathematics are just some of the artifacts originating from the “Classic Maya” period (200 CE-900 CE). However, these popular items should not be the only defining characteristics of a society that dominated the Mesoamerican region for nearly a millennia. Dynastic lines, similar to those found in European houses, were important elements during this period in places like Palenque, Tikal, and Calakmul. Additionally, the Maya experienced violent and consistent warfare between localized powers and the backbone of their society, agriculture, suffered through several multi-year droughts. These factors

Like any religion, the Mayas had religious leaders to lead the community spiritually. Priests and shamans guided the religious practices of the Maya and were of great importance to the survival of the civilization because they would help the people please the gods. Shamans were mainly commoners and looked after those in their local community. Much like medicine men of the Native American tribes, shamans used their knowledge of plants to act as doctors amongst the people and cure illness. It was the job of the shamans to perform rituals, decipher events, and tell the future so the people were able to know the will of the gods. Unlike shamans, priests were of the elite class and took part in much larger matters. Many elite class sons became priests because they could not all hold a political office. “Priests who were full-time specialists in religious matters emerged as Maya society became larger and more

     The ancient Mayans were a very well developed society with a very accurate calendar, skilled architects, artisans, extensive traders and hunters. They are known to have developed medicine and astronomy as well. All of this was developed while the Europeans were still in the Dark Ages.

The city states consisted of numerous citizens but these citizens were not all equal. Indeed, one characteristic of Maya society was the hierarchical nature of its social organization. This meant that, at different levels in the society, people would be treated according to their status. This difference in social treatment automatically meant that some citizens enjoyed a better standard of living with more of the amenities of life than others. It also meant that at the bottom of this graded social pyramid were the agricultural farmers and foot soldiers of the empire flourished. By virtue of being at the bottom of the social pyramid their training and skills consisted largely of the social functions that they performed. Hence, they were not literate and concerned themselves largely with issues of agriculture and the basics of following orders in warfare.