THE MAYAN

THE MAYAN LIVED IN THE RAIN FOREST OF MEXICO FOR 4000 YEARS. THE EARLIEST FARMERS BEGAN IN 2600 B.C. THE MAYAN RUINS ARE TOURIST ATTRACTIONS FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS. WARFARE WAS A MAJOR PART OF THEIR POLITICAL LANDSCAPES.

THE MAYAN FARMERS WERE LED BY MAYAN PRIEST KINGS THE PEASANTS USED SLASH AND BURN AGRICULTURE AND LIVED IN SMALL VILLAGES ON THE OUTSKIRTS. OF THE TEMPLE AREAS. THEIR PRIESTS WERE GENTLEMEN DEVOTED TO TEMPLE BUILDING AND PRAYERS.

IN STUDYING TIKAL THEY FOUND 1000'S OF SMALL STRUCTURES SURROUNDING THE MAIN PYRAMID COMPLEX. THEY WORE BUSY MAYAN CITIES. BASED UPON DECIPHERING THE HIEROGLYPHICS. THE PRIESTS WERE EGOMANIACS AND WARRED ALL THE TIME. THEY SACRIFICED PRISONERS TO BUILD PRESTIGE.

BY 600 A.D. THE POPULATION IN BELIZE, GUATEMALA, AND MEXICO HAD REACHED 600 PEOPLE PER SQUARE MILE WITHIN THE 36,000 SQUARE MILE AREA! TO FEED ALL THESE PEOPLE THEY DEVELOPED TERRACING AND CULTIVATED WETLANDS AND SHORTENED THE CYCLE OF GROWING CROPS.BY 850 A.D., TWO THIRDS OF THE PEOPLE WERE GONE AND MOST FOLKS DISAPPEARED BY 1100 A.D. - PERHAPS DROUGHT, EROSION, OR SOCIAL DISORDER TRIGGERED THEIR DECLINE. THEY HAD A MIDDLE CLASS OF SPECIALS WERE ABOVE F/T FARMERS.

SOME OF THESE CITIES WERE THOUGHT SERVE AS CENTERS OF REGIONAL STATES. THE VERY LARGE CENTERS WERE CITY-STATES WITH AREAS OF POLITICAL CONTROL. CALAKMUL ATTACKED TIKAL IN THE 7TH CENTURY AND DIMINISHED IT'S POWER. THE NEXT RULER OF TIKAL BEGAN TO RECOVER THE CITY AND BUILT TEO MORE GIANT TEMPLES.

COPAN IN WESTERN HONDURAS, HAS BEEN RESEARCHED FOR 30 YEARS. THE VALLEY PERHAPS UNDERWENT ECOLOGICAL STRESS. THE INSCRIPTIONS TELL ABOUT THE LIFE AND HISTORY OF VICTORIES AND DEFEATS. THEY BUILT TUNNELS UNDER THE TEMPLES OF HIEROGLYPHICS AND ACROPOLIS.

WAR WAS COMMONPLACE IN THE CLASSIC PERIOD (ABOUT 750 A.D. AND WAS EVIDENCED BY CAPTURE OF PRISONERS AND THEIR SACRIFICE! AGAIN EROSION OF THE HILLSIDES MAY HAVE RESULTED TO THE AREA'S ABANDONMENT. BENEATH THE ACROPOLIS ARCH FOUND THE 5TH CENTURY RULER YAX-K'UK MO'. THEY MAY HAVE LEFT MAY HAVE LEFT FROM MISMAGEMENT OF THEIR ENVIRONMENT COPAN HAS FREE STANDING SCULPTURES, INSCRIBED OBJECTS, STELAE, AND ALTERS.

TO DAY COPAN, WHICH IS A VERY COMPLEX SITE, COVERS 15 ACRES AND IS AN ARCHEOLOGICAL PARK. THERE ARE TOMBS IN VARIOUS ENCLAVES. THEY USED LIME PLASTER FOR SEALING THE FLOORS AND ROOFS. THEY CARVED LARGE SCULPTURES OF HEADS WHICH DEPICT MYTHOLOGICAL EARTH BEARERS. JAGUARS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH MAYA WARRIORS. ONE ANIMAL WAS SACRIFICED FOR EACH OF THE RULER'S ANCESTORS.