Mayan Culture Research Paper

Humans evolve through time and human evolution is definitely captivating and more so when it comes to ancient civilizations. Many years ago different civilizations existed, each civilization had its own way to worship their gods and beliefs. As years passed by, societies started to evolve the way humans do. These societies had their own way to interpret things, which are different from nowadays. One example of these civilizations is the Mayan Culture. There are plenty of aspects of the ancient Mayan culture that Americans today should know; for example, they should know about their astronomy, their gods, their myths, and their politics.
Astronomy was important for the Mayan Culture because it was the basis of their religious beliefs. According
One impressive myth from this culture is the creation of Earth. As Michael Schuman states, “before the Earth came into being, the only two gods, Tepeu and Gucumatz formed the earth starting with mountains, pines, valleys, sky, and water” (95). Mayans used myths for nearly everything, including the creation of Earth. The way this culture builds up these myths is amazing and it also describes the way ancient Mayans thought. This nation believed, like plenty of people, that heavens were above and the underworlds below. Four brothers known as Bacabs held up the heavens. Below the Earth is the realm called Xibalba, who rules the underworld with nine layers (Ip Factly). This is a traditional myth that several people still believe. Which means the myths of Mayan culture are still being told. Maya traditional religion survives until today, but now contains many elements of the Christian faith. Nevertheless, plenty of Mayans today believe, as the original Mayans did, in the influence of the cosmos and the need to pay homage to the gods through rituals (The Maya Culture). For this culture, the cosmos and religion are what gets them through the day. The cosmos was their science and communication with
The Kings were powerful and claimed to be descended from God (About Education). When someone was different from the Mayans physically wise, they would automatically think he was sent from the gods. If a tourist came to Mayans’ land, they would adore him and dedicate their life to him. As Cyrus Thomas claims, “The Mayan society was an absolute monarchy, meaning that citizens were ruled by one King with absolute power” (136). As Mayans believed the King was sent from God, they gave him absolute power. The King could make any decision and the citizens would obey him because they thought he was making the right decision for he was sent by the gods. When the King was dying, the Mayans had a special ritual to choose the next prince. When it came to a prince, it had to pass through different initiations and rites to become a King (Study.com). The prince had to know the system, the laws, and how to perform rituals. Rituals were one of the most important things a prince had to know. If he didn’t know how to perform a ritual, the council would crown another King. Nowadays, this civilization still uses the Mayan politics as examples of government, that is why individuals should know about the Mayan politics.
The Mayan culture is interesting and should be accredited for giving the world an example of a republic, astronomy, and literature about Gods. Americans should know about the Mayan culture because