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88 pages

English

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This book, filled with amazing facts and photographs, gives an in-depth account of what life was like for the ancient Maya of Mesoamerica. It explains how everyday life was influenced by religion and describes the evidence that has been gathered to support ideas.As well as religion and mythology it covers society, government, law, farming, industry, technology, science, mathematics, writing, cities and much more. The 'All About' series is an educational collection of books by P S Quick, and is targeted to interest children of 9 to 12+ but will fascinate readers of all ages. At the end of each book there is a quiz section for the reader, featuring 150 questions and answers.

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Publié par	Andrews UK
Date de parution	17 novembre 2015
Nombre de lectures	1
EAN13	9781785383205
Langue	English
Poids de l'ouvrage	3 Mo

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ALL ABOUT
Mysterious Maya
P S Quick

Publisher Information
Published in 2015 by
Andrews UK Limited
www.andrewsuk.com
The right of P S Quick to be identified as the Author of this Work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1998
Copyright © 2015 P S Quick
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. Any person who does so may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

Introduction
This book, filled with amazing facts and photographs, gives an in-depth account of what life was like for the ancient Maya of Mesoamerica. It explains how everyday life was influenced by religion and describes the evidence that has been gathered to support ideas.
As well as religion and mythology it covers society, government, law, farming, industry, technology, science, mathematics, writing, cities and much more.
The ‘All About’ series is an educational collection of books by P S Quick, and is targeted to interest children of 9 to 12+ but will fascinate readers of all ages. At the end of each book there is a quiz section for the reader, featuring 150 questions and answers.

Ancient Civilizations of Mesoamerica
Mesoamerica is the area in Central America that covers the countries of Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras and the northern part of Costa Rica.
Some of the world’s greatest ancient civilizations lived here and in South America. They include the Olmecs, Mayas, Incas and Aztecs, yet we know little about them compared to those who lived in other parts of the world. Each civilization was quite different.
The Maya, who eventually settled in modern day Mexico, were believed to be the longest lasting Mesoamerican civilization with evidence that dates them back to 2600 BC. However, it wasn’t until later years when they built their great cities that they rose in importance to become one of the most intriguing and influential cultures.
Although they were not the first people in Mesoamerica the Olmecs were the first major civilization to become established there flourishing for about 1000 years from around 1400/1200 BC to 400 BC.
As far as we know the Olmecs did not build any major cities but their civilization has been traced to south-central Mexico mainly in the modern states of Veracruz and Tabasco. They build the Great Pyramid at La Venta and are also famous for their colossal representations of human heads that were carved from basalt.

The Olmec Pyramid at La Venta, Mexico
As well as farming the land successfully the Olmecs were talented mathematicians, astronomers and artists who wrote using hieroglyphics. Few scripts are available so much of our knowledge comes from architectural evidence.
The Inca civilization was a later civilization that became established much further away in the Andes mountains and the land we know today as Peru. This civilization dates back to around 1200 BC. Although the Incas created one of the largest empires in the world it only lasted for about 300 years because it was destroyed by the Spanish explorers who were led by Francesco Pizarro. In this short time however they became the most advanced civilization.
The Incas built a network of roads, bridges and tunnels in order to govern their extensive empire. Their talented engineers were able to overcome numerous challenges. Many roads were so well built they survive today. They also had a complicated system of irrigation channels to carry water to the areas where it was needed that was well ahead of its time.
The Incas had a system of laws and also a large army to protect the people within their empire yet they never invented a system of writing. Instead they used knotted ropes, known as quipu, for their record keeping. The empire came to an end in 1533 AD when the last emperor was killed by the Spanish conquistadors.
The Aztec civilization is probably the best known Mexican civilization although it was neither the oldest nor the longest lasting. It was however the most powerful civilization that had ever existed in Central America and covered a huge area of land, stretching from the Pacific coast to the Gulf of Mexico and from Central Mexico into the land that is known as Guatemala today.
The Aztecs founded their city of Tenochtitlan in 1325 AD. It eventually became their capital but the Aztec empire was different from other empires because it was a collection of city states. The Aztecs were not as advanced as the Incas but did have a calendar and used hieroglyphics. Research has shown that they were influenced by the Maya culture. Like the Incas the Aztecs were also conquered by the Spanish. Their empire came to an end in 1521 AD.

Origins of the Early Maya
The ancient Maya created a sophisticated civilization that influenced many other cultures and civilizations yet their history, including their origin and demise, is shrouded in mystery.
Unlike many of the other native peoples of Central and Southern America the Maya civilization was not scattered over vast areas but located in the Yucatán Peninsula, the Mexican states of Tabasco and Chiapas, Guatemala, Belize and the western parts of Honduras and El Salvador.

Map of part of Mesoamerica where the Maya lived
These places formed three main areas where the Maya lived. Each area had its own cultural differences and the environment was different too. The lowlands of the Yucatán peninsula had little surface water to irrigate the scrub vegetation that grew upon the thin soil.
The Guatemala highlands had the richest soil that had been enhanced from the volcanic eruptions. It was a popular place to settle due to the climate and fertile valleys where food would grow. The lowlands that were covered with tropical rain forest became the centre of the Maya civilization which reached its peak from around 200 to 900 AD. Here great stone cities and monuments were built.
The concentration of the population within these areas, where there was little danger of invasion, has helped the Maya preserve their identity and customs even with intermarriage between other indigenous tribes and the Spanish immigrants as well as modernisation. Today there are around six million Maya people with the largest groups found within Mexico. Many of them still speak the Mayan languages.
Up until recently there have been two different theories as to the origin of the Mayas. One group of people believed that the civilization developed entirely on its own in the jungles of present day southern Mexico and Guatemala. Another group believed they developed due to the influences of the Olmec civilization that was centred around La Venta.
As more information and evidence comes to light through excavations and discoveries new theories are added. Excavations at the ancient Maya site of Ceibal in Guatemala show that this site was about two hundred years older than the Olmec site of La Venta.
Anthropologists Takeshi Inomata and Daniela Triadan spent seven years excavating this site. They believe that neither of the two previous theories tell the full story and that early Maya culture is more complex than people originally thought. While Olmec La Venta could not have influenced early Maya development it does not prove that the Maya developed independently.
There are many similarities between the Olmec La Venta and Maya Ceibal such as the pyramids and evidence of ritual practice. In spite of this the latest theory believes the two civilizations were influenced by a range of other cultures.
The Maya long count calendar which is well documented dates back to 11 th August 3114 BC. Researchers still differ about the dates the Maya civilization began but discoveries at the Maya site at Cuello, Belize have been carbon dated to 2600 BC. It is believed that at this time the Maya lived in small villages and lived a life based upon agriculture.

Settlements
It was not until the 1830’s that a serious exploration of Maya sites began. In 1839 John Lloyd Stephens, an American traveller and writer, together with an English draughtsman and architect known as Frederick Catherwood decided to visit some Maya ruins described by Spanish priests.
Together they wrote their own illustrated accounts of what they saw so that many other people began to become interested in the Maya. Over the years various studies and archaeological digs have revealed more and more about these fascinating people.
Recently archaeologists in Guatemala have discovered evidence that helps us understand how the Maya moved from being hunter gatherers to settling in one place.
They are suggesting that while some groups settled in one place the hunter gatherers would join them at times to work on large scale building projects for ceremonial purposes and to take part in public ceremonies. They believe the large public plaza excavated at Ceibal could not have been built by the few permanent residents that lived there.
As the people who came together for these projects and ceremonies began to bond the gradual transition from hunter gathering to farming took place. We now believe that the first settlements were established around 1800 BC, a time now referred to as the Preclassic period.
Pyramid building, the inscription of stone monuments and the construction of cities began to take place. Excavations have revealed not only pyramids and temples bu