A Brief Look at the Mayan Civilization Essay example

After the disappearance of the Olmec in 100 BCE many Mesoamerican complex societies arose and continued to carry on many of the things of the Olmec culture. The ceremonial centers that were now being established brought about large populations of residents to the area. Trade networks linked the new areas and extended across Mesoamerica. They developed similar to those in the eastern hemisphere. The earliest heirs to the Olmec were the Maya people. The Maya can be analyzed in terms of their culture. This civilization came about in Mesoamerica around 250 AD with a great influence coming from that of the Olmec. The first 650 years of the Maya civilization’s existence was known as the Classic Period. They created a remarkable society of more†¦show more content†¦After the depopulation of the lowland cities the highland cities continued to flourish. Maya writing was an expansion on the Olmec tradition of writing in inscriptions. They created the most beautiful and complex system of writing than all of the other early American systems. It is a system of hieroglyphs and syllabic symbols. Scholars began to try and understand the script in the 1960’s. Much of Maya writing is still around today. The inscriptions are seen on temples and monuments. The most common place for Maya writing were the books that they created out of bark paper and lime to make it white. They bound each book with deer hide. Only four books containing Maya writing that deal with astronomical and calendric matters. Popol Vuh, the Maya Bible is one of the surviving books. Like other Mesoamerican people, the Maya used a number system where the first nineteen numbers were similar to that of our English numbers. They contain unique symbols for numerals one through ten and eleven through nineteen is a combination of the symbols for one through nine combined with ten. Another great mathematical achievement of the Maya was that of the creation of the concept of zero and also positional notation. By combining their mathematical and astronomical skills they calculated a solar year, which is 365.242 days. They were also able to predict solar eclipses because they understood the movements of heavenly bodies. The Maya peopleShow MoreRelatedThe Fall of the Mayan Empire Essay1517 Words   |  7 Pages The fall of the Mayan Empire The collapse of the Mayan Empire is one of history’s greatest mysteries. It was one of the most advanced and developed civilizations of its time period, reining during the Pre-Classic period and into the Classic and Post-Classic Periods (2000 B.C. – 900 A.D.). The territory stretched from the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, down to modern day El Salvador in Central America. 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