Mayan Civilization Thesis
Researchers have been baffled for centuries attempting to discover the truth about the Mayan civilization. The Mayans built numerous majestic temples as “ceremonial centers”, and lived in harmony with surrounding civilizations, or so researchers thought. Throughout time more information and new evidence has changed our history, as the truth about the Mayan civilization was revealed. Researchers have now deciphered the secrets of the Maya, by deciphering Tikal, the center of the Mayan civilization. Upon deciphering Tikal, or deciphering the Mayan writing, which was written all over the temples of Tikal, researchers learned about the stories of the Maya. The Mayans were an advanced and resourceful civilization who practiced agriculture, astronomy,
…show more content…
Upon discovering Tikal, there were multiple grand buildings with beautiful architecture concealed within the heart of Guatemala. There was no evidence of war or distress in Tikal, until the Mayan hieroglyphs were deciphered. The hieroglyphs provided important information about the Mayans that disproved researchers’ previous theories. The hieroglyphs told stories of kings, war, and sacrifices. They believed in polytheism, and worshiped many gods. The Mayans participated in routine sacrifices to please multiple gods, and built many sacred pyramids to perform their rituals. They studied astronomy and astrology to calculate when to hold religious ceremonies and when to plant and harvest crops. The Mayan calendar incorporated astronomy to better track these important dates, as well as battle plans.
The Mayan Calendar is composed of a five-number sequence that allowed the Mayans to count more than 52 years ahead of their creation date. The Mayans used a system of dots and bars to count; one dot means “1”, one bar means “5”. They were also one of the earliest civilizations to use “zero” in their number system. Although the Mayans were remarkably knowledgeable, they lacked many ideas the outside world was now utilizing, such as, wheels, gunpowder, and other materials. However, this did not prevent the Mayans from engaging in war and defending their
Upon discovering Tikal, there were multiple grand buildings with beautiful architecture concealed within the heart of Guatemala. There was no evidence of war or distress in Tikal, until the Mayan hieroglyphs were deciphered. The hieroglyphs provided important information about the Mayans that disproved researchers’ previous theories. The hieroglyphs told stories of kings, war, and sacrifices. They believed in polytheism, and worshiped many gods. The Mayans participated in routine sacrifices to please multiple gods, and built many sacred pyramids to perform their rituals. They studied astronomy and astrology to calculate when to hold religious ceremonies and when to plant and harvest crops. The Mayan calendar incorporated astronomy to better track these important dates, as well as battle plans.
The Mayan Calendar is composed of a five-number sequence that allowed the Mayans to count more than 52 years ahead of their creation date. The Mayans used a system of dots and bars to count; one dot means “1”, one bar means “5”. They were also one of the earliest civilizations to use “zero” in their number system. Although the Mayans were remarkably knowledgeable, they lacked many ideas the outside world was now utilizing, such as, wheels, gunpowder, and other materials. However, this did not prevent the Mayans from engaging in war and defending their