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One more important thing is that you should also press the play button on each recording between the first topics of each line, that will be the audio recorded for each sentences of the first paragraph in the topics. Thank you, I hope you will enjoy my padlet.

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Source of information Wikipedia.com

Source of images : Google

Source of audio recordings of my writing : ElevenLabs.com

Padlet realised by Cotea Stefan student in class XI D from

Liceul Tehnic Henri Coanda

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I want to apologise again if you found this either boring, not interesting or just too long and you got bored midway into reading my project. But for me personally the mayan civilization is an interesting subjects as we still havent discovered everything fully and there is still mystery in everything they did.

I hope you enjoyed this project as much as I did and sorry for maybe ending it a bit bruptly but I figured out that it might've gotten too long.

Thank you for paying attention to my project

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I chose the Maya civilization because of its remarkable achievements in various fields, including writing, architecture, and astronomy, which continue to fascinate scholars and enthusiasts alike. The complexity and sophistication of their society, especially their religion, reflected in their intricate calendar systems, advanced agricultural techniques, and the enigmatic collapse of their cities, provide a rich tapestry of history that is both intriguing and profound. Additionally, the relatively recent breakthroughs in deciphering Maya script have opened new avenues for understanding their culture and worldview, making the study of the Maya civilization an continuate evolving and exciting field.

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Shimkin suggested that the Maya may have faced endemic infections such as American trypanosomiasis, Ascaris, and enteropathogens causing acute diarrheal illness. The development of agriculture and settlements could have created a "disturbed environment" that fostered parasitic and pathogen-carrying insects.

Among these diseases, acute diarrheal illnesses would have been particularly devastating, striking children and compromising their nutritional health and development, making them more susceptible to other diseases later in life. This would have been exacerbated by the Maya's increasing dependence on carbohydrate-rich crops. These factors suggest that disease could have played a significant role in the Classic Maya collapse.

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The disease theory is also considered a factor in the Classic Maya collapse. Widespread disease could account for rapid depopulation, both directly through infection and indirectly by hindering long-term recovery. Dunn (1968) and Shimkin (1973) noted that infectious diseases spread by parasites are common in tropical rainforest regions like the Maya lowlands.

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The foreign invasion theory also fails to explain the disappearance of the inhabitants. David Webster suggested that the population should have increased due to the absence of elite power, and it remains unclear why governmental institutions were not reestablished following revolts. Studies, such as one by anthropologist Elliot M. Abrams, concluded that constructing buildings in Copán did not require extensive time and labor. This theory emerged when it was believed there were fewer Maya people than current evidence suggests. Revolutions and social turmoil often lead to change but typically do not result in the wholesale abandonment of entire regions.

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The archaeological evidence of the Toltec intrusion into Seibal, Peten, suggests a theory of foreign invasion. The latest hypothesis posits that a non-Maya group from the Gulf Coast lowlands invaded the southern lowlands in the 9th century, triggering events that contributed to the Classic Maya collapse within 100 years. This invasion may have been influenced by the Toltecs of central Mexico. However, most Mayanists believe that foreign invasion was not the primary cause of the collapse. They argue that no military defeat can fully explain the complex process of the Classic Maya collapse. Significant Teotihuacan-Maya interactions date back to the Early Classic period, predating the Late Classic collapse.

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More than 80 different theories or variations of theories have been proposed to explain the Classic Maya collapse. These range from climate change and deforestation to the lack of action by Maya kings. While there is no universally accepted explanation, the drought theory has gained significant traction in the first quarter of the 21st century, bolstered by an increasing number of scientific studies.

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Often the most important sanctuaries sat atop towering Maya pyramids, some of over two hundred feet, such as that at El Mirador. The sanctuary on top commonly was heightened by a crest or roof comb. While recent discoveries point toward the extensive use of pyramids as tombs, the temples themselves seem to rarely, if ever, contain burials. Maya pyramids had flat tops and were similar to the Aztec pyramids, though The Aztecs were the individuals who built their pyramids indistinguishable.

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Large and often highly decorated, the palaces usually sat close to the center of a city and housed the population's elite. Every exceedingly large royal palace, or one consisting of many chambers on different levels might be referred to as an acropolis. Archaeologists seem to agree that many palaces are home to various tombs.

At Copán (one of the most powerful and important cities), beneath over four-hundred years of later remodeling, a tomb for one of the ancient rulers has been discovered and the North Acropolis at Tikal appears to have been the site of numerous burials during the Terminal Pre-classic and Early Classic periods.

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As is the case with many other Maya reliefs, those on the platforms often were related to the intended purpose of the residing structure. Thus, as the sub-structural platforms were completed, the grand residences and temples of the Maya were constructed on the solid foundations of the platforms. As all structures were built, little attention seems to have been given to their utilitarian functionality and much to external aesthetics; however, a certain repeated aspect, the corbelled arch, was often utilized to mimic the appearance and feel of the simple Maya hut.

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All evidence suggests that most stone buildings existed on top of a platform that varied in height from less than a meter to 45 meters depending on the importance of the building. A flight of stone steps often split the large platforms on one side, contributing to the common bi-symmetrical appearance of Maya architecture. Depending on the prevalent stylistic tendencies of an area, these platforms most often were built of stucco and cut stone exteriors filled with densely packed gravel.

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This discussion focuses on the more well-known examples of Maya architecture from the Preclassic and Classic periods. Temples such as those at Palenque, Tikal, and Uxmal represent the zenith of Maya art and architecture. By studying numerous elements and stylistic distinctions, remnants of Maya architecture have become crucial to understanding their religious beliefs and culture as a whole.

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The architecture of the Maya civilization spans several thousand years, encompassing various eras of political change and architectural innovation prior to the Spanish colonization of the Americas. The most dramatic and recognizable buildings created by the Maya are the step pyramids from the Terminal Preclassic period and later. Rooted in general Mesoamerican architectural traditions, the Maya employed geometric proportions and intricate carvings to construct everything from simple houses to elaborate temples.

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Although the archaeological record does not provide examples of brushes or pens, analysis of ink strokes on the Postclassic codices suggests that it was applied with a brush with a tip fashioned from pliable hair. A Classic period sculpture from Copán, Honduras, depicts a scribe with an inkpot fashioned from a conch shell.Excavations at Aguateca uncovered a number of scribal artefacts from the residences of elite status scribes, including palettes and mortars and pestles.

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These are the Madrid Codex, the Dresden Codex, the Paris Codex, and the Maya Codex of Mexico (formerly known as the Grolier Codex, whose authenticity was confirmed in 2018). Archaeological excavations at Maya sites often uncover fragments, such as rectangular lumps of plaster and paint chips that were once codices. Unfortunately, these remnants are too damaged for any inscriptions to survive, with most of the organic material having decayed.

Regarding the few extant Maya writings, Michael D. Coe stated:

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By around AD 250, the Maya script had evolved into a more formalized and consistent writing system.

The Catholic Church and colonial officials, particularly Bishop Diego de Landa, destroyed Maya texts wherever they found them, eradicating much of the knowledge of Maya writing. However, four uncontested pre-Columbian books from the Postclassic period have been preserved by chance.

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However, earlier Mesoamerican writing systems, such as the Epi-Olmec and Zapotec scripts, preceded it. By the late 1st century AD or early 2nd century, early Maya script had appeared on the Pacific coast of Guatemala. Similarities between the Isthmian script and Early Maya script of the Pacific coast suggest that the two systems developed in tandem.

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The Maya writing system is one of the remarkable achievements of the pre-Columbian inhabitants of the Americas. It was the most sophisticated and highly developed among more than a dozen writing systems that emerged in Mesoamerica. The earliest identifiable Maya script inscriptions date back to 300–200 BC in the Petén Basin.

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Although ocellated turkeys were not domesticated, they were captured in the wild and penned for fattening. These animals, along with deer, which may also have been penned and fattened, were used as food. Additionally, dogs were utilized for hunting.

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Besides basic foodstuffs, the Maya also grew prestige crops like cotton, cacao, and vanilla. Cacao, in particular, was prized by the elite, who consumed chocolate beverages. Cotton was spun, dyed, and woven into valuable textiles for trade.

The Maya had few domestic animals. Dogs were domesticated by 3000 BC, and the Muscovy duck by the Late Postclassic.

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The basic staples of the Maya diet were maize, beans, and squashes, supplemented by a variety of other plants either cultivated in gardens or gathered from the forest. At Joya de Cerén, a volcanic eruption preserved a record of foodstuffs stored in Maya homes, including chilies and tomatoes. Cotton seeds found there were in the process of being ground, likely to produce cooking oil.

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For example, aerial photographs reveal raised fields connected by canals. Contemporary rainforest species in previously densely populated areas show a higher abundance of species that were of economic value to the ancient Maya. Pollen records in lake sediments indicate that crops such as maize, manioc, sunflower seeds, and cotton were cultivated in conjunction with deforestation in Mesoamerica since at least 2500 BC.

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The ancient Maya employed diverse and sophisticated methods of food production. While shifting cultivation (swidden) agriculture was initially believed to provide most of their food, it is now understood that permanent raised fields, terracing, intensive gardening, forest gardens, and managed fallows also played crucial roles in supporting large populations during the Classic period in certain areas. Evidence of these agricultural systems still exists today;

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- The deified Hero Twins.

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- Death gods (God A and God A')

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- A young goddess of eroticism and marriage (Goddess I)

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- Occupational gods, including those of merchants (Ek Chuah, God L), black sorcerers (God L), midwives (Goddess O, Ixchel), and hunters with snares (Tabay)

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- Weather and crop gods, such as the rain god (Chaac), the lightning god (Bolon Dzacab), the aged deities of underground and terrestrial water and thunder (Bacabs), the maize god (God E), and a young deity of flowers and foodstuffs (God H)

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- Sky gods, including the sun god (Kinich Ahau), the moon goddess, and the patrons of the Venus cycle

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- The principal creator god (Itzamna)

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The codices show that deities were often rearranged according to cultic criteria not easily understood. Maya deities typically operate in various fields, changing attributes accordingly.

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With these considerations, the main deities depicted in the codices can be roughly divided into these groups (using 16th-century Yucatec names):

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These patron deities, whether place-specific or general, maintain a close relationship with their communities and leaders, who bathe, dress, and feed them.

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Deities perform various social functions, connected to activities such as agriculture, midwifery, trade, and warfare. They can also serve as patrons of large social segments, evidenced by the four deities overseeing the wards of Itzamkanac, the lineage gods of the Popol Vuh Triad, and the Palenque Triad and its Classic Period counterparts.

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For example, the maize god's significance extends beyond agriculture to encompass fundamental aspects of civilized life, like writing.

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In Classic war rituals, the Maya jaguar gods were prominent, particularly the jaguar deity associated with fire (and patron of the number Seven), whose face commonly adorns the king's war shield.

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The Yucatec ritual for the war chief (nakom) was connected to the cult of a puma war god, and included a five-day residence of the war leader in the temple, "where they burned incense to him as to an idol."

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The jaguar-spotted War Twin Xbalanque counted as a war deity in the Alta Verapaz; preceding a campaign, rituals were held for him during thirty days, so that he might imbue the weapons with his power.

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The Paris Codex contains what some consider to be a zodiac. In the Classic period, references to specific stars are not rare; in dynastic texts, a star glyph with rain symbols seems to signal a decisive war ("star war"). Some of the Books of Chilam Balam testify to the great interest the colonial Maya had for the astrology of their conquerors.

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The far more sophisticated pre-Hispanic Mayan astrology is mainly found in the Early Post-Classic Dresden Codex, and concerns lunar and solar eclipses and the varying aspects of Venus in the course of its cycles; animals and deities symbolize the social groups negatively affected by Venus during its heliacal rising as the Morning Star.

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With but few exceptions, the names of stars and constellations are all that have been preserved, and the influence of star lore on social and professional activities beyond agriculture and on individual destiny can no longer be traced. In this respect, other Mesoamerican groups (such as Totonacs and Oaxacan Chontals ) have fared better.

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The large cave of Balankanche near Chichén Itzá was a key sanctuary for Terminal Classic rain and maize rituals, featuring numerous Tlaloc censers and miniature metates.

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Agricultural rites mainly focus on maize sowing and harvesting. Detailed descriptions exist for Yucatec and Ch'orti' Maya rituals. In eastern Yucatán, ritual sequences include protecting areas against evil (loh), thanksgiving (uhanlikol 'dinner of the maize field'), and imploring rain deities (ch'a cháak).

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Additionally, significant rituals were performed during important calendar events, such as the end of the 260-day Tzolk'in cycle and the 365-day Haab' calendar. These ceremonies could involve elaborate dances, theatrical performances, and processions, reflecting the Maya's intricate connection between timekeeping and religious practices.

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Rituals are influenced not only by the geographical arrangement of shrines and temples but also by calendrical mapping. In contemporary Quichean Momostenango, specific day-name and number combinations correspond to specialized mountain shrines, indicating the proper times for rituals. In the northwestern Maya highlands, the four days that can start a year are assigned to four mountains. In early colonial Yucatán, the thirteen Katun periods and their deities were successively linked to specific towns, conceived as a 'wheel'.

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Mayan rituals were deeply intertwined with the natural and celestial worlds. Key rituals often involved offerings to gods and ancestors, which could include food, incense, and, in some cases, bloodletting. Bloodletting was considered a potent offering, believed to nourish the gods and maintain cosmic order.

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- Anthropological reports published since the late 19th century, which complement the above sources.

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- Archaeological, epigraphic, and iconographic studies.

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- Secondary colonial sources: Spanish treatises, such as those by Landa for the Lowland Mayas and Las Casas for the Highland Mayas, as well as early-colonial dictionaries like Motul (Yucatec) and Coto (Kaqchikel).

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- Early-colonial sources (16th century): the Popol Vuh, the Ritual of the Bacabs, and parts of the Chilam Balam books.

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- Pre-Hispanic sources: the three surviving Maya hieroglyphic books (the Dresden, Madrid, and Paris codices) and the Maya-Toltec Grolier Codex from the Postclassic period (post-900 AD); pottery scenes and texts; mural paintings; and stone inscriptions from the Classic (200-900 AD) and Late Preclassic (200 BC-200 AD) periods.

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Knowledge of pre-Hispanic Maya religion comes from diverse sources, primarily of Maya origin:

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Rituals are influenced not only by the geographical arrangement of shrines and temples but also by calendrical mapping. In contemporary Quichean Momostenango, specific day-name and number combinations correspond to specialized mountain shrines, indicating the proper times for rituals. In the northwestern Maya highlands, the four days that can start a year are assigned to four mountains. In early colonial Yucatán, the thirteen Katun periods and their deities were successively linked to specific towns, conceived as a 'wheel'.

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Before Christianity, it encompassed numerous indigenous kingdoms, each with its own local traditions. Today, it coexists and interacts with pan-Mayan syncretism, the 're-invention of tradition' by the Pan-Maya movement, and various denominations of Christianity.

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Like many contemporary Mesoamerican religions, it has evolved through centuries of interaction with Roman Catholicism. However, considering its pre-Hispanic origins, traditional Maya religion has existed for over two and a half millennia as a distinct entity.

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One thing that I should add is that the reader might find this boring, or even not interesting, but my personal opinion is that the mayan is one of the most interesting culture for me.

I repeat, its very interesting for me, not only just because of its whole information and the special culture but it amazes me, and I tried to show this by writing and extracting information from trusted sources like wikipedia and such more. I hope you will find it as interesting as I do.

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The Maya script is the most sophisticated and highly developed writing system in the pre-Columbian Americas. The civilization is also noted for its art, architecture, mathematics, calendar, and astronomical system.

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From the many deity names found in early-colonial sources, especially in the medical 'Rituals of the Bacabs,' about twenty have been linked to figures in the Postclassic hieroglyphic books and Classic ceramic representations, using the Schellhas-Zimmermann-Taube classification.

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The ancient Maya concept of 'deity' (k'u in Yucatec, ch'u in Ch'ol, and qabuvil in ancient Quiché) is complex and not fully understood. It cannot be simply viewed as a personification of natural phenomena.

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What is often called Maya 'astronomy' is really astrology: that is, a priestly science resting on the assumption of an influence exerted on earthly events by the movements of heavenly bodies and constellations. The observation of sky and horizon by present-day Mayas relates chiefly to celestial signs of seasonal change relevant to agriculture; stars connected to the hunt and specific hunting animals; and stars sending certain illnesses.

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In Maya narrative, warfare includes the warriors' transformation into animals (wayob) and the use of black magic by sorcerers.[48] In the pre-Hispanic period, war rituals focused on the war leaders and the weapons.

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Influencing the weather is a primary goal of rain-making rituals found throughout the Maya area, including secretive practices like 'Imprisoning the winds' and 'Sealing the frost' before sowing season. Priests conducting these rituals are sometimes believed to ascend into the clouds and act as rain deities. Weather rituals can also involve deflecting rain clouds from neighboring areas, sometimes seen as black sorcery.

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The Maya landscape is a ritual topography, where landmarks such as mountains, wells, and caves are associated with specific ancestors and deities. For example, in the Tzotzil town of Zinacantan, seven sacred waterholes are linked to mountain-dwelling ancestors, with one serving as the residence of their nursemaids and laundresses. An important part of ritual activities occurs at these landmarks, including around cenotes in Yucatán.

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The Maya landscape is a ritual topography, where landmarks such as mountains, wells, and caves are associated with specific ancestors and deities. For example, in the Tzotzil town of Zinacantan, seven sacred waterholes are linked to mountain-dwelling ancestors, with one serving as the residence of their nursemaids and laundresses. An important part of ritual activities occurs at these landmarks, including around cenotes in Yucatán.

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The primary source on traditional Maya religion is the Maya themselves: religious officials, diviners, and storytellers, as well as those who shared their knowledge with outsiders and the anthropologists and historians who study them.

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The traditional Maya religion, practiced by the Maya peoples of Guatemala, Belize, western Honduras, and the Mexican states of Tabasco, Chiapas, Quintana Roo, Campeche, and Yucatán, is part of the broader Mesoamerican religious framework.