Around 900 CE, the
Mayas left their cities and disappeared. No one knows where they
came from, and no one knows where they went.
During their 1500 year stay on the Yucatan
Peninsula in Central America, they build fascinating pyramids, temples,
stelas, and ball courts. Learn about Daily Life in the Maya Empire, read
The Exciting Adventure of the Hero Twins, explore Maps, Maya
Hieroglyphics and Achievements, and play some games!
Welcome to the Maya Empire!
Maya
Pottery: Maya pottery has given us quite a look at
their daily life. The Mayas made little pottery figures. These figures
were probably used in religious ceremonies. Many were made to rattle or
whistle. Although very small, figures were detailed, brightly painted,
and offer a look at Maya life. Some of the figures include a bearded man
on a throne, a person in a wide hat, a ballplayer wearing heavily padded
clothing, and a musician shaking a rattle.
Class Society: The
Maya had a class society. There were slaves, peasants, craftsmen,
nobility, priests, and leaders. There were also warriors. At the top
were the nobles and priests. The middle class had the craftsmen,
traders, and warriors. At the bottom were farmers, other workers, and
slaves.
Priests: Religion
was at the heart of nearly all Maya activities. The Mayas believed in a
great many gods and goddesses. They believed their priests could talk to
the gods. That gave the priests incredible power. The priests, along
with the leaders in each city-state, were the most powerful people in
the Maya civilization. Priests decided nearly
everything in the Maya daily life. They decided when to plant, when
people could marry, marry, and whom to sacrifice.
Leaders: A
different noble family ruled each city. The Mayas were governed by
city-state. The same family ruled forever. The crown was handed from
father to son forever. Their right to rule came from the fact that they
were direct descendants of the Hero Twins. They were the kids of the
kids of the kids of the original Hero
Twins.
Nobles: The
nobles were all the people who were not actually the rulers, but were of
royal blood - the brothers and sisters and cousins and aunts and uncles
of the ruling family. Nobles believed they were so important that, when
they appeared in public, their attendants would hold a cloth in front of
their face. That way, no one could talk to them directly. They bathed
often. All of the men and none of the women used mirrors.
High Fashion: Maya
nobles spent a great deal of time on their personal appearance. They
pierced their ears. They covered their bodies with tattoos. They painted
their bodies. They loved fancy colorful embroidery added to their
clothing. They loved straight black hair and high cheekbones. They loved
jewelry. Hats were important. The Mayas believed that the bigger the
hat, the more important the wearer. Some of the headdresses worn by
nobles were taller than they were. As in most ancient cultures, their
life was one of leisure. They had the time to spend on what they
believed made them look beautiful. Be
Attractive the Classic Mayan Way
Craftsmen:
The Mayas wove beautiful fabrics. They made
musical instruments like drums, shell horns, and castanets. Their
statues were incredible and huge. The art they created honored their
gods or their leaders.
Warriors: The
Mayas were often at war. Some scholars say they were always at war. So,
well-trained warriors were important to the Maya way of life. The job of
warrior was highly respected.
Slaves: Slaves
were people who were captured from warring tribes. Slaves worked in the
homes of noble families. Some slaves cared for the children. Some
cleaned the house. Still others worked in the fields.
Farmers:
Many of the Maya peasants were farmers. Farmers worked very hard. The
Mayas did not have metal tools. Fathers and sons worked their land
mostly by hand, helped a little with stone axes. Wives and daughters
cooked and cleaned and sewed. Girls babysat their youngest siblings.
Women carried goods in baskets on their heads from the fields and to
market. Women helped in the fields as necessary.
Food: They
ate very well on the farms. Food included hot corn porridge for
breakfast, tortillas filled with cooked vegetables enjoyed for lunch and
dinner. Families lived in thatched roofed houses - one family per house.
Farmers grew so much food that they produced surplus crops. When the
growing season ended, farmers worked alongside slaves (captured people
from other tribes) to build the magnificent cities. They were the labor.
Maize: The
most important crop was corn (maize.) Corn was everything. They made
corn flour, all kinds of food and drinks from corn. Some of the nobles
even wove their hair to resemble tassels of corn. Other crops were sweet
potatoes, beans, chilies, and squash. They hunted wild turkey, monkeys,
deer, and ducks. They caught fish. They ate well. Some say the Mayas
made the first chocolate drink.
Dance:
The Maya loved dance. Some scholars believe the
Maya might have known a thousand different dances. Their dances included
the Monkey, the Grandfather, the Shadow of the Trees, and the Centipede.
Dance costumes were colorful, and headdresses were huge!
Music: The
Maya played drums. They rattled turtle shells and played pottery flutes.
They loved games. The time you had to spend on these activities depended
upon your place in society.
Festivals:
The most important activity in the cities was
religious festivals. People who lived near a major city would travel
there to attend religious festivals, and of course to see the famed ball
games and go to the market. Every 20th day, there was a religious
festival. Priests would climb the pyramid steps, dressed in fierce
masks, to please the gods. Wearing huge headdresses, Maya dancers
performed in front of the Pyramid or the Temple or both. The Mayas are
famous for their dances and their headdresses. The movement of the dance
would make their headdresses jingle and rattle. It was quite a site.
K'atun:
K'atun is a ceremony that was conducted every 20
years. Stelas were created to share what had happened for the past 20
years. The rulers were an important part of the story told through the
stelas. A different royal family ruled each Maya city. So each Maya city
erected its own stela to honor its own ruling family.
Gods
of Nature: The Mayas worshipped the gods of nature
every day. Worshiping their gods was a huge part of their daily life.
Some of their gods included the God of Rain, Lady Rainbow, the God of
Maize (corn), and of course, the God of Sun. Without the help of these
important gods, there would be no crops and everyone would starve.
The
Underworld: Maya religion was far more complicated
than the simple worship of gods of nature. The Maya world was composed
of 3 layers - the Heavens, the Earth, and the Underworld, sometimes
called the Otherworld or the Place of Awe. The Mayas conducted many
ceremonies to keep the demons, creatures and gods in the Underworld.
Masks:
During certain religious ceremonies, priests
dressed up like jaguars. Priests wore scary masks as they faced the
inhabitants of the Underworld. Priests wanted to present themselves as
equally scary and powerful.
Afterlife:
The Mayas believed in an afterlife. Commoners
buried their dead inside their homes, under the floor. That way, they
could live with their ancestors and keep their ancestors easily posted
on their daily life. The Mayas believed they would be compensated. If
they had a rough time or a rough life, this would be made up to them in
their afterlife. Nobles were buried in tombs.
