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Physical Geography of the Mayan Homeland

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Investigates the relationship between the Mayan civilization and the rain forest that allowed the society to flourish.

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Although they did not invent writing and calendars, the Maya advanced astronomy, trade and religion. They believed that nature was a cycle of destruction and creation, and their priests were mediators between the people and the gods. Buildings, sports, contests, and tribal warfare were all deeply connected to their religious beliefs.

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Art and Architecture: Grand Architecture of Mayan Ceremonial Centers

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Evaluates the significance of the art and architecture found in ancient Mayan city-states.

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The Maya Indians for Kids and Teachers - The Maya Empire for Kids

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Skilled Builders: Nobody knows where they came from, but about 2,400 years ago, a new tribe of people appeared in Central America. They settled in the rainforests of the Yucatan Peninsula. They were called the Maya Indians. They were very clever people. They built cities deep in…

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The Maya made their home in northern Central America. Today, this region falls into modern day southern Mexico, most of Guatemala, all of Belize, the northern tip of Honduras, and a northeast piece of El Salvador.

The geography varies greatly in different parts of this region of the world. You can find dry and arid land, rainforests, swamps, and coastal areas. Earthquakes were frequent. There was flooding and mudslides, hurricanes and droughts. In the highlands to the south, among the Sierra Madre mountains, there are 37 volcanoes.

The ancient Maya were a clever people. They invented many things to overcome the various problems their geography and climate created to disturb their comfort. One thing they did was to clear large sections of the rain forest to build underground reservoirs for fresh water storage. They did this without metal tools. (The Maya were great builders.)

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The Maya made their home in northern Central America. Today, this region falls into modern day southern Mexico, most of Guatemala, all of Belize, the northern tip of Honduras, and a northeast piece of El Salvador. The geography varies greatly in different parts of this region of the world.

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The Maya Empire was not one unified nation. There was no central government. The Maya Empire was a collection of independent cities (city-states). The Maya built hundreds of cities. One noble family controlled each city. Some cities were very large. Each family had a great deal of power because each family had a large army.

When the ruling noble died in a city, his job passed to his son.No one else got a shot at it. The noble families' right to rule originated with the Hero Twins. Each noble family was supposedly a direct descendant of one of the Hero Twins. That gave them the justification they needed to keep their job. They were directly related to the gods.

The ruling noble did not do his job alone. The head of the noble family in each city-state had government officials to help him rule his city. He chose the officials. His officials could be a mix of retired warriors, elders, and members of his family. Some of these officials acted as judges, others were in law enforcement. In the Maya Empire, a woman could be the ruler of a city-state. Women could be active in government as well as economics and religion.

There was no reason to send officials to other cities to collect taxes, because each city-state ruled only itself. But officials did visit other cities on government business. Cities might team up to fight other cities. They might team up to repair the roads. The Maya knew people in other cities. They might rule individually, but they were an empire, one civilization. What united them was their common culture.

Like the ancient Greeks, the Maya city-states were both independent and intertwined. The Mayas considered themselves to be Maya Indians. They all spoke the same language. Their written language was the same. They worshiped the same gods. They told the same myths. They had the same laws. They wore the same style clothing. They thought of themselves as one people. Unlike the ancient Greeks, Maya cities were interconnected with marvelous roads.Each Maya city had a palace, some temples, some pyramids, a central marketplace, and a ball court.

Maya law was very strict. If you stole something and you were caught, you became the captive of your victim. If you committed a lesser crime, your hair would be cut short. Short hair was a sign of disgrace. It was possible that, as a punishment, all of your possessions might be sold at auction. Punishments varied, but the laws were pretty fair and applied to everyone equally. The Mayas held trials. Evidence was presented against you or for you. This evidence was presented before a judge. It did not matter who you were. If you committed a crime, and you were found guilty after a judge had heard your case, you would be punished. This was rigidly enforced.

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The Maya Empire was not one unified nation. There was no central government. The Maya Empire was a collection of independent cities (city-states). The Maya built hundreds of cities. One noble family controlled each city. Some cities were very large. Each family had a great deal of power because each family had a large army.