MAYA

Amazing!

The Maya were probably one of the most dominent and influential cultures of Mesoamerica, more precisely Mexico and Guatemala. Their culture flourished (about 1800 BCE) after the decline of the Olmecs, and that the Olmecs had a vast influence on them was evident. The Mayans didn't really have a central government, like most Mesopotamian Empires we have studied, but they had several small, organized states, that were centers of trade and communication. The Mayans used their own hieroglyphic writing, consisting of pictographs, but also of "letters" that represented sounds. They were very advanced in the fields of astronomy and math, having calculated that an

 The Mayans making their special cacao drink

astronomical year would take exactly 365 days; they were only seconds off the modern calculations. What we remember most about the Mayans, are their cruel religious practices and ceremonies, often performed to the public. They included human sacrifice and blood-letting to please the gods. As time passed, the Mayans turned from a rather peaceful society, to a more violent one, as city-states started to become rivals. They fought each other constantly, and it is still debated today, if that was the reason for their downfall around 900 CE. Another factor leading to their disappearance might have been the depletion of their fields, and the loss of fertility of the soil. Maybe a natural disaster caused them to leave. We don't know.

For me, the Mayans major accomplishments might be different than what some other people consider as their major accomplishments... Please excuse my horrible judgement :)

1. The Discovery of Cacao (CHOCOLATE): The Mayans collected Cacao beans from tropical trees, dried them, ground them into a powder, and mixed this powder with water to create a chocolate drink, which was reserved most exclusively for the elite class. Now, it makes me feel special every single time I eat chocolate (so like, once a day) because I know where it originally came from.
2. Their Ancient Ball Game: Since we don't know exactly how they played this game, but we know that involved a court, a "hoop", and a hard ball, I assume it was very similar to Basketball. I love (to watch) Basketball, and I find it amazing that even the ancient societies had nothing to do with their free time, so that they invented one of the first sports ever.
3. Their Calendar: Wow. That is all I can say. The Mayans had their very own calendar, not only did they calculate exactly the right amount of days, but they also found out what kind of activitites to do on each day, as the stars, moons, and other planets rotations, apparently influenced how events would turn out. They even predicted the end of the world, and that every 52 years or so, the cycle of the planets would start the same way over again. With their calendar, they knew when to plant crops, making them some of the most successful agricultural people ever. They could even have several growing seasons.

An ancient Mayan Ball Court.

An ancient Mayan Calendar.