Archeology of the Mayans

Archeology of the Mayans

The mysterious, ancient Mayans once lived in a large area in Central and South America. Their civilization extended to parts of what are now Mexico, Honduras, and El Salvador, and most of Guatemala and Belize. The Mayans first settled in 1500BC. They lived in tropical rainforests, which was also one of their main sources of resources. They turned the jungles into great cities. The rainforest provided them with food, clothing, weapons, tools, and many more useful items. It rained almost everyday, but the temperature was not cold at least in the daytime. The Mayans needed rain and heat to survive. They learned the methods of doing things like planting crops, making clothing and jewelry, etc. The Mayans grew mainly corn, beans, and squash together with yucca, manioc, and sweet potatoes.   The Mayans had over 800 symbols for their writing system. It’s said to be the most complex form of writing. The most important eastern Maya languages are Quiche, and Cakchiquel. The largest western Maya language is Tzeltal, spoken in Chiapas Mex. The Mayans had another 15 languages. Their numerical system was based on symbols, which were given a value according to position and the concept of zero existed. Three symbols were used in writing numbers, a dot for one, a bar for five and a stylized shell for zero. All other numbers were written by combining these. The Mayas also devised glyphs for the numbers zero to nineteen, which were often used instead of the other system. The Mayans also have a very accurate calender due to their number system. In the Mayan society there were class separations like the ruling class and the common people. Warriors were a separate class themselves too. In battle the Mayans fought with wooden clubs, flint knives, spears, and slingshots. Weapons and tools were made from bone, parts of animals, soil, stone, metal/copper, and wood. The Mayans were very religious people; their religion had to do with almost everything in their...