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cosmology & spiritual world

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Mayan culture is receiving more attention
mayan language is being taught at school
modern science is recognizing the value of traditional medicinal plants for their healing power and their potential in finding cures for diseases like cancer, diabetes, and AIDS
Maya forest stands as an enduring monument to the resourcefulness of the maya and the continuation of their invaluable cultural heritage .

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writing system considered most sophisticated of mesoamerica
wrote using 800 individual signs or glyphs, paired in columns that read together from left to right and top to bottom

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deeply religions, worshiped many gods nature related
believed in cynical nature of life (nothing was ever "born" or "died")
when one died they journyed through tomoanchan ('place of misty sky')

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rulers had to be god like
women would rule when king hasn't come of age, when king at war, other reasons if king was available
didn't have one major government, instead each city state had its own individual ruling family
larger city states sometimes controlled smaller ones
at first village elder rules but over time adopted a hierarchical government system with rule by a monarch and the aristocracy

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4 social classes: nobles,commoners,serfs,and slaves
kings (holy lords) were at top of society (claimed to be related to gods and hereditary succession)
below kings were advisors and council

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Important crops- maize, manioc, beans,squash,amaranth, chili peppers
hunted- deer, peccary, turkeys,quials,ducks, curassow,guan, spider monkes, howler monkeys, the tapir, armadillo, and fish
fruits - guave,papaya, avocado,custard,apple,and sweetsop

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Lived in 3 separate sub areas
Northern Maya lowlands in Yucatan Peninsula
Southern lowlands in peten district of northern guatemla and adjacent portions of Mexico, Belize and western Honduras
Southern Maya highlands, mountain region of southern guatemala