Similarities Between Mayans And Ancient Cultures - 881 Words

Mayans are probably best known for their prediction of the world’s end in 2012 or their other various predictions of what might take place in today’s culture; some of which have come true some of which have not. The Mayans were certainly a very intelligent and interesting culture. From their belief in multiple gods to their practices of human sacrifice the Mayans took their beliefs and their religion very seriously. Mayan religion revolved around astronomy, nature and rituals. Like many other ancient cultures, the Mayans believed in gods that were symbolized by things like the sun, moon, stars and other natural elements. Religious practices were extremely important to the Mayans. They even went as far as to offer human sacrifices to the gods. Mayan land was divided into segments called polities or city-states. Sometimes the interactions between polities were civil and at other times it was violent. It was during these violent times that polities would capture people fro m other polities. These prisoners were either used as slaves or if they were of a high status they were used for human sacrifice. These human sacrifices were â€Å"deemed necessary to sanctify certain ritual occasions, such as the ascendancy to the throne by a new ruler or the dedication of a new building† (Smith). Basic human sacrifices consisted of public decapitation in the form of a celebration. It was particularly exciting if the ruler of another polity was captured and sacrificed. After the humans wereShow MoreRelatedEssay on Popol Vuh vs. Gilgamesh861 Words   |  4 Pagesmany similarities, themes characters ect. I personally would not call the two texts similar. In my opinion for two texts to be similar they must poses similar general themes that apply to the entire text, not small themes that only apply to portions of the text. In other words I believe that two texts can have similar events, yet have completely different meanings. Popol Vuh and Gilgamesh actually had more similarities than dissimilarities, but it is the significance of those similarities, notRead MoreSimilarities Between Civilizations And Civilizations958 Words   |  4 Pages Throughout history there have been similarities between civilizations, some of which were on separate parts of the world. Many scholars and historians have been baffled by the discoveries of these similarities due to the fact that these cultures were not only hundreds of miles apart but also were separated by hundreds of years. The ancient Egyptian civilization located in northern Africa around 3,100 B.C. is considered to be one of the cradles of civilization and also a major contributor to theRead MoreHistory: Spanish Colonization of the Americas and Spanish Conquest1021 Words   |  5 PagesThe Conquest and Colonization of the Caribbean and Yucatan by European, Resulted in significant cultural, biological environmental changes to both regions Maggie Jim Professor Ancient History [Date] 1. Briefly discuss (but in detail) the similarities/differences between the initial Spanish colonization of the Caribbean and the Yucatan. In your discussion include the initial reaction of the Taino and Maya to the presence of the Spanish and the rationalRead MoreHistory: Spanish Colonization of the Americas and Spanish Conquest1021 Words   |  5 PagesThe Conquest and Colonization of the Caribbean and Yucatan by European, Resulted in significant cultural, biological environmental changes to both regions Maggie Jim Professor Ancient History [Date] 1. Briefly discuss (but in detail) the similarities/differences between the initial Spanish colonization of the Caribbean and the Yucatan. In your discussion include the initial reaction of the Taino and Maya to the presence of the Spanish and the rationalRead MoreSimilarities Of The Mayan Civilization1102 Words   |  5 PagesDespite bearing some minor similarities the difference between Mayan artwork like the Cylindrical vessel with ritual ballgame scene and Pablo Picasso’s Les Demoiselles d’ Avignon are pronounced. The best way to understand the Mayan is to have some historical information about them. The Maya civilization was a Mesoamerican civilization from around 2000 BCE to 1500 CE. This civilization developed in areas like Guatemala, Belize, Mexico, Yucatà ¡n Peninsula, western El Salvador and Honduras. Ritual, religionRead MoreHuman Sacrifice And The Gods Essay1360 Words   |  6 Pagesto offer it to the gods.â€Å" The occurrence of human sacrifice can usually be related to the recognition of human blood as the sacred life force†(â€Å"Human Sacrificing†). The thought of human sacrificing may seem inhuman or uncivilized; however, in the ancient times, it was considered a prayer for better times. Human sacrificing was not only a ritual act to earn a god s favor, but also for a greater cause. Usually people would benefit luck, fertility for the land, and to win a war. Although, there’s evidenceRead MoreThe Origins Of The Ancient Civilization1308 Words   |  6 Pag esdisappearing? That is what happened to the Mayans. In a time span of only one hundred years, the whole Maya population was wiped out. There are several theories about the cause of their decline. Due to their disappearance the great Mayan inventions were lost in time until modern day anthropologists discovered that they made their own calendar and language along with many other things. What anthropologists do know for sure is that the Mayans were an ancient Mesoamerican civilization dating back to 250Read MoreThe Ancient Civilization1622 Words   |  7 PagesThe Mayans has always existed through the telling of their ritualistic practices or their calendar, but the fall of such an advanced civilization is perhaps the most intriguing story of all.To understand what causes great civilizations, it is vital to note the process of collapse in other civilizations, such as the great Roman Empire. Differences in time period, geographical landscapes, and other circumstances mean no direct correlations are possible, but the outstanding point of similarity is thatRead MoreThe History of Zero: Indian and Mayan Cultures726 Words   |  3 PagesZero is usually recognized today as being originated in two geographically separated cultures: the Maya and Indian. If zero was a place-holder symbol, then such a zero was present in the Babylonian positional number system before the fi rst recorded occurrence of the Indian zero. If zero was represented by an empty space within a well-defined positional number system, such a zero was present in Chinese mathematics a few centuries before the beginning of the Common Era. The absence of a symbol forRead MoreAztec Calendar Stone Essay examples1599 Words   |  7 PagesObtaining the knowledge that was passed down to them from earlier Mesoamerican cultures, the Aztecs carved the calendar stone in 1479 (Smith 253). At the time, the Aztecs lived in a very civilized world filled with amazing architecture, an impressively complex government system, and they also employed intricate systems of writing and calendric systems (Taube 7). The Calendar Stone was made by basalt stone. For the Aztecs, everything was pictorial in nature around this era. The calendar stone depicted