What is the name of the ancient Mayan city? The rise of the Mayan civilization. Mayan cities: Uxmal - the northwestern capital of the empire

Mayan- a Central American civilization known for its writing, art, architecture, mathematical and astronomical systems. It began to take shape in the pre-classical era (2000 BC - 250 AD), most of its cities reached the peak of their development in the classical period (250-900 AD). The Mayans built stone cities, many of which were abandoned long before the arrival of Europeans, others were inhabited even after. The calendar developed by the Mayans was also used by other peoples of Central America. A hieroglyphic writing system was used, partially deciphered. Numerous inscriptions on the monuments have been preserved. They created an effective farming system and had deep knowledge of astronomy. The descendants of the ancient Mayans are not only modern peoples the Mayans, who preserved the language of their ancestors, but also part of the Spanish-speaking population of the southern states of Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras. Some Mayan cities are included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites: Palenque, Chichen Itza, Uxmal in Mexico, Tikal and Quirigua in Guatemala, Copan in Honduras, Hoya de Ceren in El Salvador - a small Mayan village that was buried under volcanic ash and is now excavated.

Territory
The territory where the Mayan civilization developed is part of the states: Mexico (states of Chiapas, Campeche, Yucatan, Quintana Roo), Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras (western part). About 1,000 Mayan sites have been found, but not all of them have been excavated or explored by archaeologists, as well as 3,000 villages.

Story
In ancient times, the Mayans represented various groups that shared a common historical tradition. As a result of research carried out in relation to the Mayan language, it was concluded that approximately around 2500-2000. BC e., in the area of ​​modern Huehuetenango (Guatemala), there was a group of Proto-Mayans, whose members spoke the same language, also called Proto-Maya by researchers. Over time, this language split into different Mayan languages. Subsequently, speakers of these languages ​​emigrated and settled in different areas, where the Mayan zone was later formed and a high culture arose. Population migrations have led both to the separation of various groups and to their rapprochement with representatives of other cultures. The periodization of Mayan culture is similar to the chronology of all of Mesoamerica, although it is more accurate due to the deciphering of time hieroglyphs and their comparison with the modern calendar. The history and culture of the Mayan people are usually divided into three main periods, the boundaries between which are very fluid:
- period of formation (1500 BC - 250 AD);
- Ancient kingdom(250 - 900 AD);
- New Kingdom (900 AD - XVI century).
The Mayan civilization developed on the Mexican Yucatan Peninsula and mountainous Guatemala. In the Maya region, three major language groups emerged: Yucatecan, Tzeltan and Quiché. At the beginning of 1000 The Quiches were the most powerful group of Mayan tribes. The Mayan tribes began their cultural development around the 2nd millennium BC. During this period, in Yucatan and surrounding areas, two cultures replaced each other - "Ocos" and "Quadros", at that time beautiful ceramic products appeared, the surface of clay vessels was covered with a stamped pattern of stripes, which was created using agave fibers. Mayan history begins from 500 BC. by 300
AD Mayan culture begins its formation. This is especially noticeable on humanoid clay figurines, where the physical characteristics of the population of that era are present. The patterns that decorate the first Mayan buildings are also examples. It was then that large cult centers began to appear in the southern regions of Guatemala. Izapa on the Pacific coast and the mountainous regions of Guatemala are rapidly developing. In the late archaic period Kaminaljuyu appears - the ancient center of Mayan culture, not far from the present Ciudad de Guatemala. At this time, the Miraflores culture was emerging in Guatemala, and, apparently, Kaminaljuyu became Izapa's military opponent. To the north, at the same time, the Olmec and Mayan cultures came into contact. By the 1st century. n. e. All traces of the Olmec culture, the decline of which began three centuries earlier, completely disappear. In the early Preclassic period, Maya society was composed of groups of families united by the same language, customs and territory. They banded together to cultivate the soil and fish, hunt and gather to obtain food for survival. Later, with the development of agriculture, irrigation systems were built and the range of crops grown expanded, some of which were already sold. Population growth accelerated, the construction of cities and large ceremonial centers began, around which the people settled. As a result of the division of labor, classes emerged. From the Preclassic period, the Mayans began to build individual structures in which the influence of other cultures can be discerned. Later, Mayan architecture began to express mystical and religious ideas; therefore, temples and palaces, ball fields were erected in the central part of the cities, and residential buildings were located in the surrounding areas. 250 Beginning of the Early Classic period. This year, Teotihuacan and Kaminalhuyu form a trade alliance with Tikal. In 400 AD Kaminalhuyu completely falls under the power of the Teotihuacan Pochteca merchants - the Teotihuacans come to the city and in its place build a miniature copy of their capital, which becomes the southeastern outpost of the empire. During the Esperanza stage, the Mayan mountain region was under the protectorate of the Teotihuacan dynasties and, of course, under the influence of the Teotihuacan artistic styles. Then, to the north of Kaminalhuyu, the first cyclopean structures of the Maya began to be built, which at first served as mausoleums for the Teotihuacan “governors” - the pochteca. A distinctive feature of this stage is thin “orange” ceramics. It is covered with geometric patterns, clearly of Teotihuacan origin. Tripod vessels appear. Similar products were also common in Central Mexico. Subsequently, when the hegemony of Teotihuacan in the Mayan lands ends, the “Esperanza” stage passes into an equally noticeable stage in the history of the Maya - “tsacol”. During the Tsacol phase, the influence of the Teotihuacan culture on the Petén and highland Maya region is still strong.
Classic period:
From 325 to 925 AD e. It is divided into the Early Classic (325-625 AD), when outside influence ceased and its own characteristics appeared. The Period of Heyday (625-800 AD), when mathematics, astronomy, ceramics, sculpture and architecture reached their maximum brilliance, and the Period of Crisis (800-925 AD) - the time when culture came to decline and ceremonial centers were abandoned.
The Classical era is the time of the true heyday of the Maya, both in mountainous Guatemala, both in Peten and in the North of Yucatan. The classical Mayan culture emerged, hieroglyphic writing developed, and cyclopean limestone structures were erected. There is a flourishing of sciences - astronomy, mathematics, healing. During the Classic period, the Mayans developed their own elements in architecture, such as, for example, a false vault, built-on terraces, stucco decorations, and ridges on the roof ridges, which, when mixed, led to the emergence of what is called the Peten style in architecture. It is characterized by structures on stepped terrace foundations, thick walls, staircases outside the facade, high ridges above the rear wall and plaster decorations in the form of grotesque masks. In Guatemala, powerful dynasties of native Mayan rulers succeed each other - at the beginning of the late period of the classical era, the rise of Tikal occurs. Not far from Copan, in eastern Guatemala, is the “city” of Quirigua. It is no less remarkable than Copan and is quite similar to it in its architectural style. Quirigua's most magnificent monument is undoubtedly the Stela E, reaching an impressive height and covered with exquisite reliefs of baroque excess. Apparently Quirigua was the main city of the region, and Copan was its protectorate. Copan is a unique city. But the Mayans achieved the true greatness of the “city” in the 8th-9th centuries. Tikal defeats Calakmul and begins to rule all of Peten. At the same time, Palenque, Bonampak, Yaxchilan, and Piedras Negros flourish in the Usamancita River basin. In these places, Mayan art reached its peak. In Bonampak, magnificent wall paintings are created that tell the story of the victory of the local ruler over the army of Yaxchilan.

Postclassic period:
In the postclassic period, the high Mayan culture was preserved only in the North of Yucatan, but in synthesis with a completely different civilization - the Toltec. The cities of Petén and mountainous Guatemala fell into disrepair, many were abandoned by their inhabitants, others turned into tiny villages. The north of Yucatan flourished even in the classical era - several large regions formed there: Chenes, Rio Bec, Puuc. The center of the first was the “city” of Chikanna, the second - Calakmul, El Mirador, Saros, in the third Uxmal, Coba, Sayil, and the “necropolis” of the island of Haina flourished. In the classical era, these were the richest cities in Yucatan, as they were able to trade with the Toltecs. But by the end of the classical era, these cities were destroyed by the invasion of the Maya-Chontal people, who were at a lower stage of development than the Yucatecs and Quiches. They were influenced by Toltec culture more than by Mayan culture. Soon after the Chontal invasion, a cult center was founded Chichen Itza. The city is believed to have been founded in V-VI centuries and was one of the largest Mayan cities. By the end of the 10th century, however, for unknown reasons, life here had practically ceased. Structures dating from this period are located mainly in the southern part of modern Chichen Itza. The city was then occupied by the Toltecs, who came to Yucatan from central Mexico. The arrival of the Toltec leader, obviously, was not a peaceful event: in the inscriptions from Chichen we're talking about about the invasion of invaders who overthrew the Mayan dynasty. The most famous religious buildings of Chichen are a huge ball court, the Well of Victims - a karst gap and, of course, the famous El Castillo, the Temple of Kukulkan. Period from 1200 to 1540 AD. e. An era of conflict, when inter-tribal alliances are broken and a series of armed clashes occur that divide the people and further impoverish the culture. Yucatan is entering a period of fragmentation and decline. On its territory the states of Vaymil, Campeche, Champutun, Chiquinchel, Ekab, Mani-Tutuk-Shiu, Chetumal, etc. are formed. These states are continuously at war with each other, and when the Spaniards arrived in the Mayan zone, large ceremonial centers had already been abandoned, and culture was in complete decline.

Art
The art of the ancient Mayans reached its peak during the Classic period (circa 250 - 900 AD). The wall frescoes in Palenque, Copan and Bonampak are considered some of the most beautiful. The beauty of the images of people on the frescoes allows us to compare these cultural monuments with cultural monuments ancient world. Therefore, this period of development of the Mayan civilization is considered classical. Unfortunately, many of the cultural monuments have not survived to this day, as they were destroyed either by the Inquisition or by time.

Cloth
The main attire for men was the loincloth, which was a palm-wide strip of fabric that was wrapped several times around the waist, then passed between the legs so that the ends hung in front and behind. The loincloths of eminent persons were decorated “with great care and beauty” with feathers or embroidery. A patti was thrown over the shoulders - a cape made of a rectangular piece of fabric, also decorated in accordance with social status its owner. Noble people added to this outfit a long shirt and a second loincloth, similar to a wrap-around skirt. Their clothes were richly decorated and probably looked very colorful, as far as can be judged from surviving images. Rulers and military leaders sometimes wore a jaguar skin instead of a cape or attached it to their belt. Women's clothing consisted of two main items: a long dress, which either began above the chest, leaving the shoulders bare, or was a rectangular piece of material with slits for the arms and head, and an underskirt. The outerwear, like for men, was a cape, but longer. All items of clothing were decorated with multicolor patterns.

Architecture
Mayan art, which found expression in stone sculpture and bas-reliefs, works of small sculpture, wall paintings and ceramics, is characterized by religious and mythological themes, embodied in stylized grotesque images. The main motifs of Mayan art are anthropomorphic deities, snakes and masks; it is characterized by stylistic grace and sophistication of lines. Main building material For the Maya, stone was used, primarily limestone. Typical of Mayan architecture were false vaults, upward-facing facades, and ridged roofs. These massive facades and roofs, crowning palaces and temples, created an impression of height and majesty.

Mayan writing and timekeeping
The exceptional intellectual achievements of the pre-Columbian New World were the writing and timekeeping systems created by the Maya people. Mayan hieroglyphs served both ideographic and phonetic writing. They were carved on stone, painted on ceramics, and used to write folding books on local paper called codices. These codices are the most important source for the study of Mayan writing. The Mayans used Tzolk'in or Tonalamatl, counting systems based on the numbers 20 and 13. The Tzolk'in system, common in Central America, is very ancient and was not necessarily invented by the Maya people. The Olmecs and the Zapotec culture of the formative era developed similar and fairly developed time systems even earlier than the Mayans. However, the Mayans advanced much further in improving the numerical system and astronomical observations than any other indigenous people of Central America. The Mayans had a complex and quite accurate calendar system for their time.
Writing
The first Mayan monument with hieroglyphs carved on it, discovered by archaeologists on the territory of the modern Mexican state of Oaxaca, dates back to approximately 700 AD. e. Immediately after the Spanish conquest, attempts were made to decipher the Mayan writing system. The first researchers of Mayan writing were Spanish monks who tried to convert the Mayans to the Christian faith. The most famous of these was Diego de Landa, the third bishop of Yucatan, who in 1566 wrote a work entitled Reports of Affairs in Yucatan. According to de Landa, Mayan hieroglyphs were akin to Indo-European alphabets. He believed that each hieroglyph represented a specific letter. The greatest success in deciphering Mayan texts was achieved by the Soviet scientist Yuri Knorozov from the Leningrad Institute of Ethnography of the USSR Academy of Sciences, who made his discoveries in the 1950s. Knorozov became convinced that de Landa's list was not an alphabet, but he did not reject it entirely for this reason. The scientist suggested that de Landa's “alphabet” was actually a list of syllables. Each sign in it corresponded to a certain combination of one consonant and one vowel. The signs joined together were the phonetic notation of words.
As a result of the discoveries of the 20th century, it became possible to systematize knowledge about the Mayan writing. The main elements of the writing system were signs, of which about 800 are known. Usually the signs look like a square or an oblong oval; one or more characters can be placed together, forming a so-called hieroglyphic block. Many such blocks are arranged in a specific order in a rectilinear grid, which determined the spatial framework for most known inscriptions.
The ancient Mayan counting system
The Mayan counting system was not based on the usual decimal system, but on the twenty-digit system common in Mesoamerican cultures. The origins lie in the method of counting, which used not only ten fingers, but also ten toes. At the same time, there was a structure in the form of four blocks of five numbers, which corresponded to the five fingers and toes. Also interesting is the fact that the Mayans had a designation for zero, which was schematically represented as an empty shell from an oyster or snail. The notation zero has also been used to denote infinity.

Mayan religion
Among the ruins of Mayan cities, buildings of a religious nature dominate. It is assumed that religion, together with the servants of the temples, played a key role in the life of the Mayans. In the period from 250 to 900 AD. e. At the head of the city-states of the region were rulers who included, if not the highest, then at least a very important religious function. Archaeological excavations suggest that representatives of the upper strata of society also took part in religious rituals. Like other peoples who inhabited Central America at that time, the Mayans believed in the cyclical nature of time and astrology. For example, their calculations of the movement of Venus differed from modern astronomical data by only a few seconds per year. They imagined the Universe divided into three levels - the underworld, earth and sky. Religious rituals and ceremonies were closely related to natural and astronomical cycles.
According to astrology and the Mayan calendar, the “time of the fifth Sun” will end on December 21-25, 2012 (winter solstice). The “Fifth Sun” is known as the “Sun of Movement” because, according to the Indians, during this era there will be a movement of the Earth, from which many will die.
Gods and sacrifices
Like other peoples of Central America, human blood played a special role among the Mayans. Judging by the various household items that have survived to this day - vessels, small plastic and ritual instruments - we can talk about a specific ritual of bloodletting. The main type of ritual bloodletting in the classical period was a ritual in which the tongue was pierced, and this was done by both men and women. After piercing the organs (tongue, lips, palms), a lace or rope was threaded through the holes. According to the Mayans, the blood contained the soul and vital energy. The Mayan religion was polytheistic. At the same time, the gods were mortal creatures similar to people. In this regard, human sacrifice was considered by the ancient Mayans as an act that would, to a certain extent, prolong the life of the gods. Human sacrifice was common among the Mayans. People were sacrificed by hanging, drowning, poisoning, beating, and also by being buried alive. The most cruel type of sacrifice was, like the Aztecs, ripping open the stomach and tearing out the still beating heart from the chest. Both captives from other tribes captured during wars and representatives of their own people, including members of the upper strata of society, were sacrificed. It is well established that representatives of other tribes captured during wars, including members of the highest strata of the enemy, were sacrificed on a huge scale. However, it is still unclear whether the Mayans waged bloody wars to obtain more prisoners of war for the purpose of sacrificing them in the future, as the Aztecs did.
Political and social structure of society
The Mayans were primarily foreign policy oriented. This was due to the fact that individual city-states competed with each other, but at the same time had to control trade routes to obtain the necessary goods. Political structures varied depending on the region, time and people living in the cities. Along with hereditary kings under the leadership of the "ayawa" (ruler), oligarchic and aristocratic forms of government also took place. The Quiche also had noble families who performed various tasks in the state. Also, democratic institutions took place at least in the lower layer of society: the procedure that exists to this day for electing a burgomaster, a “Mayan burgomaster,” every three years, has presumably existed for quite a long time. IN social structure society, any member of Mayan society who had reached the age of 25 could challenge the leader of the tribe. In case of victory, the tribe had a new leader. This usually happened in small settlements.

2012... People in my town are massively buying candles, stewed food and soap. They think that this will protect them from the end of the world, which is scheduled to occur on December 21st. According to the Mayan calendar. Although I am a sober person, I still felt a nervous tic. But the day passed calmly and, as you can see, the world is still standing still. The Mayans were wrong.

Mayan civilization: where is it located?

For some reason I believed that the Mayans, Incas and Aztecs lived at the same time. But this is a mistake. The Aztecs experienced all the joys of the Spanish conquest, while the Mayan civilization at that time was almost dead. Mayan civilization was very highly developed and today her descendants treasure with trepidation what remains of their culture.

This civilization is very ancient. Its roots go back to 2nd millennium BC. A peak of development fell on 250-900 AD. The Mayans lived in the following territories:

• southern states of Mexico;
• Guatemala;
• Belize;
• western Honduras;
• El Salvador;
• Yucatan Peninsula.

These territories are very diverse in their landscape. The Mayans knew how transform dry lands into fertile soils. They grew cocoa, corn, beans, pumpkins, fruits and even cotton. Their society was divided into independent tribes, headed by a leader. Number of Mayan people was almost 3 million people. Medicine was very advanced. The Mayans even knew how to fill teeth. And their astronomers could very accurately calculate the cycles of the sun's movement and other planets.

Mayan secrets

But scientists are still struggling with one question. Why did the Mayan civilization disappear? After all, this civilization has reached incredible heights in construction, art, and intellectual development. But early 10th century Maya start leave their cities. Scientists put forward various versions - from epidemic to natural disaster. But so far no one has been able to solve this mystery.

And another mystery of this civilization is cenotes. This natural wells. It is believed that the Mayans built their cities taking into account their location. Near these wells sacrifices were made and the Mayans considered them entrance to the underworld. Also the Mayans for some reason tried change your body. For example, they deformed the forehead and made it flat. They deliberately shaped children to have squints or made their noses into the shape of a beak.

We are talking about civilization in the wilds of the tropical forest. Ruin mysterious civilization, which existed for more than a thousand years.

Ancient Mayans. They built majestic pyramids, luxurious palaces and spacious squares. In the jungle they were masters.

They effectively used energy sources and created amazing engineering structures and works of art for one and a half thousand years.

But suddenly ancient civilization disappeared with centuries of history: the bustling cities are deserted, and the jungle closes over them.

Mayan code

Tikal was one of the few cities that gained strength in the Preclassic period, and successfully existed until the end of the Classic period. The history of this city was uninterrupted.

But in the 6th century, Tikal had a rival: the star of a city called.

The Mayans had two cities with strong rulers: Calakmul and Tikal. Between them there were conflicts. As a rule, their initiator was Calakmul: he constantly entered into alliances with Tikal's neighbors against a common enemy.

Ikin-Chan-Kawil and the Temple of the Great Jaguar

Calakmul became a powerful state thanks to its decisive and far-sighted ruler. His name was Ikin-Chan-Kawil.

He built one of the most famous Mayan structures, this pyramid has survived centuries: .

Construction required enormous effort. The pyramid was not only a temple, but also symbol of the power and authority of the ruler: it was assumed that, having become convinced of the power of the ruler, people would go over to his side.

Building in the rainforest is still difficult today, but they built the pyramids with Stone Age tools. Most of the technologies that we use in the construction of large structures were unknown to the Mayans: they there were no draft animals, there were no metal tools.

The Mayans had only virtually inexhaustible supplies of limestone and labor. Every subject of the state was obliged to work annually for the ruler certain time.

From the quarries to the construction site the stone had to be dragged or carry it on your back. For this they had baskets with a strap, or, as it is also called - headband. In this way it was possible to carry tens of kilograms of stones.

Step by step the pyramid grew higher. Wooden “scaffolding” was erected and rearranged as needed. The blocks were hewn with stone chisels and wooden mallets.

The inner surface of the walls was left untreated, but the outside was polished: they were coated with a solution - the so-called "Mayan plaster", and painted red.

They knew about the wheel, about metal, but in practice they did not use either one or the other. Apparently, they believed that the more labor expended, the greater the value of the structure.

The façade of the Temple of the Great Jaguar faces west, towards the setting sun. The temple on the main square of Tikal was a symbol of the power of the ruler who paid the debt of the people to the gods.

Ikin-Chan-Kawil built it in honor of the victory over the main rival, Calakmulem, in 736. Then in 743-744 he defeated Calakmul's allies who threatened Tikal to the west and east. The noose that was squeezing Tikal’s “throat” was torn.

In honor of this victory, he rebuilds and expands the palace and erects new pyramids. Tikal in its current form is mainly the fruits of that victory.

Most likely, it was he who started construction Tikal's tallest structure – Temple IV. A pyramid with a volume of 200 thousand cubic meters of stone and a height of 65 meters with a 22-story building. From its top, overlooking the rainforest, there was a magnificent view of the city.

In other Mayan cities, tall structures were also built, but during the reign of Ikin-Chan-Kawil Tikal was the most powerful city Mayan civilization. But not the only one.

Mysterious ruler

400 kilometers to the west, another dynasty was building its acropolis. In the 7th century, an extraordinary ruler appeared there. He turned one of the wettest cities in the world into a “Mecca” of New World architecture.

He enters the sanctuary, looks around and sees in the floor holes with stone plugs. He suggests that ropes were threaded through these holes to lift a massive slab like the current drop doors. He moves the slab and walks down the stairs, which are clogged with dirt and rubble.

No one has ever seen such Mayan pyramids before, and he begins to dig. He walks along the wet steps, reaches the landing and sees that the stairs turn. He continues to dig and finds secret doors and false passages- a clear sign that the construction plan was carefully thought out.

Finally, after 3 long years, he reaches the base of the 25-meter staircase. In front of it is a small passage and a stone sarcophagus with 6 skeletons - the remains of those who were sacrificed so that they would guard the one who built this temple. But he doesn’t know the name of this person yet.

And finally, he sees a door in front of him - a huge triangular stone. Together with his assistants, he opens the door and goes inside.

There is crypt measuring 9 meters in length and 7 in height. And in it - massive sarcophagus made of a single piece of limestone with a carved lid depicting the ruler.

Its edge is painted with cinnabar - a red paint and smeared with poison against possible robbers. If the Egyptians had used this method, perhaps more ancient treasures would have reached us.

Here we see shield image, the same shield is depicted in the sanctuary. In the language of the ancient Mayans, the shield sounds like “pacal”. Alberto Ruz opened the tomb of the outstanding Mayan ruler - Pakala Great.

Pacal the Great

The discovery of the Temple of the Inscriptions changed our understanding of the Mayan pyramids: they were not just tombs.

In addition to the stairs, the builders led to the tomb well in the form thin wall pipe. Through this pipe, any word spoken at the top of the pyramid could be heard in the crypt. Thus, it was possible to directly communicate with Pakal, who was lying in the tomb.

The 20-ton sarcophagus was supposed to survive eternity. To put the body inside, you had to move the lid to the side. After Pakal's death, the lid was put in place, the entrance was walled up and the stairs were filled up.

Stone cutters depicted on the lid symbolic picture Pakal's revival the afterlife. And also a kind of table in which 640 hieroglyphs were placed with a narration of the history of Pakal's reign.

In most Mayan pyramids there are practically no texts; with the Temple of the Inscriptions the situation is the opposite: literally every stone, both outside and inside, reminds us that here is the resting place of the founder of one of the greatest Mayan dynasties.

In 683, in the 68th year of his reign, at the age of 80 the great Mayan ruler Pacal died. The body was painted with cinnabar and strewn with jewelry. The faces were covered with a jade mask.

Kan Balam

Pacal was a great ruler, but his son waited patiently for his turn - almost 50 years.

We had to do something great. The laws of physics and Mother Nature came to the rescue.

684 The great ruler Pacal turned Palenque into a city such as the Mayan culture had never known. After 68 years in power, he was buried in a tomb rivaling those of the Egyptian pharaohs. It was up to his son to continue the work started by his father. His name was Kan Balam.

Pacal founded the dynasty, but strengthened the state and thereby created the conditions for its continuation by his son.

48-year-old ruler began construction of three temples at once. This complex immortalized his name.

He built "Group of the Cross"- one of the most complex and elegant temple complexes in Mayan history. His creation towered over his father's palace. It is believed that this complex reflects the character of its creator: he wanted to leave a memory of himself, just as his father wanted.

He ordered the construction of three structures: Temple of the Cross, Temple of the Foliated Cross and Temple of the Sun.

Mayan number system

In this era, architecture reached a qualitatively new level. Mayan number system allowed for complex calculations not available to other cultures.

The Mayans were ahead of the rest of humanity, by entering a symbol to represent zero. A set of three symbols: shells for zero, dots for ones, and lines for fives in various combinations allowed operations with huge numbers.

The Greeks and Romans were great engineers, but their mathematical system was limited because it did not have a zero. Oddly enough, the great builders and philosophers, compared to the Mayans, were worthless mathematicians.

It is possible that the architects of Kan-Balan were able to extract square root and knew about the golden ratio, the proportions inherent in inanimate nature, animals and even humans are 1 to 1.618.

The ratio of the distance from the crown to the navel and from the navel to the soles corresponds almost exactly.

Scientists find this proportion in structures erected thousands of years ago: in Egyptian pyramids, in Greek. I studied it: there is an opinion that the golden proportion is present in the features.

It is possible that with the help of sticks and rope alone, the engineers of Kan-Balam were able to extract. In the Temple of the Cross, the pylons at the entrance, the gates themselves, and the walls of the interior are close to this proportion. The dimensions of the side walls and facades when viewed from above are related as 1 to 1.618.

The alternation of squares and rectangles creates an amazing geometric picture on the floor of the Temple of the Cross, full of mythological and historical symbolism.

Water supply Palenque

But not all buildings in Palenque were built with the afterlife in mind; the architects also thought about more practical things.

Between 800 and 1050, Chichen Itza becomes a large and powerful city. People flocked here from all over the country, and he took advantage of them.

Karakol – astronomical observatory

What stands out among other buildings in the city is Karakol, astronomical observatory. Time and stars The Mayans were extremely interested; they looked in the sky for answers to their questions.

Most likely the Mayans used such a device as visor. Observing the passage of stars through the crosshairs of the viewfinder, they drew certain conclusions.

Despite their primitive tools, the Mayans accurately calculated the movements of the stars and planets and the passage of time.

Karakol does not fit into the general layout of the city, but a deviation of 27.5 degrees to the northwest corresponds northernmost position of Venus in the sky.

The building is focused on celestial bodies and phenomena, namely: movement of Venus and equinox.

Judging by the fact that the proportions and orientation of Karakol do not fit into the overall layout, we can judge roles of Venus in Mayan ideas.

Venus behaves differently from other celestial bodies; it moves across the sky in one direction and then in another. Apparently, Caracol indicated the days when Venus changes direction.

Knowing the patterns of movement of celestial bodies, Maya created two interconnected calendars: ritual and solar These were the most accurate calendars of the ancient world.

The Mayan solar year consisted of 365 days. In addition, they determined the periods of revolution of Venus and lunar eclipses with no less accuracy.

New era of Mayan flourishing

It took the Mayans only 200 years to revive the civilization that had fallen into decline in the south. But, as it turned out, in the north he was waiting for them no less terrible enemy: He destroyed the Mayan culture, leaving the cities untouched.

In the 9th century AD For some unknown reason, the cities of the classical Mayan period become empty, and new era heyday.

With the revival of culture in the north, the Mayans were able to put their knowledge of astronomy into practice as never before. The Maya's reverence for celestial mechanics left its mark on the architecture of Chichen Itza.

The main structure of Chichen Itza was, or “Castle”, built in the 9th-10th centuries AD.

365 steps, according to the number of days of the year in the Mayan civil calendar. The 52 slabs symbolize the 52-year cycle, and the 9 steps symbolize the 18-month cycle of the solar calendar.

The temple is oriented so that twice a year the shadow of the Sun falls in a certain way. When looking at the balustrade and the northwest corner of El Castillo at sunset one could see amazing game of shadows. The illuminated triangles of the pyramid's ledges ended at the foot with the stone head of a snake. A “snake” descended from heaven to earth, and this meant the onset of the rainy season.

The Mayans saw this as a manifestation of the will of the god, the "Feathered Serpent".

The Mayans knew how to determine the days when the length of day and night is the same. Every year on March 21, the descent of Kukulkan could be observed.

The layout of the city around El Castillo has acquired a new quality - space: temples, market, ball court, colonnades.

Most likely, the sides with colonnades served not only ritual purposes. Perhaps they were either specially invited here, or anyone could come here to watch processions of ambassadors and merchants from other cities arrive in the city.

These columns are similar to the Greek and Roman ones, but for the Mayans they were a completely new type of building structure, they allowed the roof to be flat. There is no need for stepped masonry, which did not give 100 percent confidence that the vault would not collapse.

The design of the columns is simple: cylindrical drums They were placed one on top of the other on a layer of gravel. A square slab was placed on top, and the roof was made of wood and covered with lime mortar.

Now what was happening inside the temples was accessible to more people than in the era of the classical Mayan pyramids. Only a select few climbed those pyramids, the temples were placed on top, and from below it was not visible what was happening in them, but buildings with columns were more accessible.

Death of the Mayan civilization

However, this did not last long, the heyday of Chichen Itza lasted 200 years, and then it suffered the fate of its southern neighbors: it mysteriously depopulated.

When the Spaniards landed in Yucatan in 1517, all Mayan cities were abandoned and abandoned. The heirs of the collapsed civilization lived in scattered settlements, but courageously resisted .

It turned out to be difficult to conquer them: instead of taking the ruler prisoner, they had to capture villages one by one. When leaving, they left behind potential hotbeds of rebellion.

The Mayan warriors killed the conquistadors by the thousands, but their weapons were powerless against another enemy: illnesses. Over 100 years, 90% of the population of the New World died. The survivors faced persecution.

Came from Spain to convert the Mayans to Christianity, and in his zeal knew no mercy.

Landa was an idealist. He arrived at New World to save souls, convert the natives to true faith. But the Mayans were by no means going to give up their beliefs.

12 July 1562 Landa burned all the Mayan manuscripts, believing them to be devilish writings. The knowledge accumulated by the Mayans over a thousand years was destroyed; for history it was great tragedy.

By luck, four codexes escaped destruction in the flames and are not lost over time. In the 19th century, some of these manuscripts were rescued from the hands of the monks, and over time they became known to the general public.

Mayan archeology is just beginning

The ancient Mayans tried to find answers to questions by looking from the earth to the sky, and now we are looking for answers by looking from the sky to the earth.

Recently NASA and with the help modern technologies tried to find new, unknown Mayan cities. Hills covered with forest may well be the ruins of ancient cities abandoned hundreds of years ago. Perhaps the answer to the Mayan mysteries lies beneath our feet.

Mayan archeology is just beginning: an incredible number of cities, temples and other structures have not yet been explored. The “golden” age of Mayan archeology lies ahead: by the end of the century it will be one of the most studied civilizations of the Ancient World.

The Mayans were smart, inventive, but also prone to violence. Why is this highly developed and at the same time mysterious civilization so attractive to scientists generation after generation? The architecture of majestic palaces and temples? Intricate hieroglyphs? Or amazing knowledge of astronomy and mathematics with the concept of zero, unprecedented in antiquity? Or a people who managed to build not a village, not a small town, but magnificent cities in one of the most inhospitable corners of the planet?

Hidden in the tropical rainforests between and Yucatan hundreds of unknown Mayan cities. In Palenque alone, one and a half thousand structures have not yet been excavated. If you imagine what archaeological treasures await scientists in cities like Tikal and Palenque, it becomes clear that the jungle still holds many secrets of the mysterious Mayan civilization.

The Mayan peoples inhabited the territories:

• in the west - from the Mexican state of Tabasco,
• in the east - to the western outskirts of Honduras and El Salvador.

This area is divided into three areas clearly distinguishable by climatic and cultural-historical characteristics.

1. The northern one - the Yucatan Peninsula, formed by a limestone platform - is characterized by an arid climate, poor soil and the absence of rivers. The only sources of fresh water are karst wells (cenotes).
2. The central region covers the Mexican states of Tabasco, part of Chiapas, Campeche, Quintana Roo, as well as Belize and the Guatemalan department of Petén. This area is made up of lowlands, abounding in natural reservoirs and crossed by the large rivers Usumacinta, Motagua and others. The territory is covered with tropical rainforests with a diverse fauna, a rich selection of edible fruits and plants. Here, as in the north, there are practically no mineral resources.
3. The southern region includes mountain ranges up to 4000 m high in the state of Chiapas and the Guatemalan highlands. The territory is covered with coniferous forests and has a temperate climate. Various minerals are found here - jadeite, jade, obsidian, pyrite, cinnabar, which were valued by the Mayans and served as trade items.

The climate of all regions is characterized by alternating dry and rainy seasons, requiring precision in determining the time of sowing, which is impossible without the development of astronomical knowledge and the calendar. The fauna is represented by ungulates (peccaries, tapirs, deer), feline predators, varieties of raccoons, hares and reptiles.

History of the Mayan civilization

Periodization of Mayan history

• …-1500 BC - Archaic period
• 1500-800 BC - Early formative
• 800-300 BC - Medium formative
• 300 BC - 150 AD - Late formative
• 150-300 - Protoclassical
• 300-600 - Early Classic
• 600-900 - Late Classical
• 900-1200 - Early Postclassic
• 1200-1530 - Late Postclassic

The problem of settling the Maya region is still far from a final solution. Some evidence suggests that the Proto-Maya came from the north, moving along the Gulf Coast, displacing or intermingling with local populations. Between 2000-1500 BC began to settle throughout the zone, breaking up into different language groups.

In the VI-IV centuries. BC In the Central region, the first urban centers appear (Nakbe, El Mirador, Tikal, Vashaktun), distinguished by the monumentality of their buildings. During this period, the urban layout took on the appearance characteristic of Mayan cities - an articulation of independent, astronomically oriented acropolises adapted to the relief, representing a rectangular area surrounded by temple and palace buildings on platforms. Early Mayan cities formally continued to maintain a clan-fratric structure.

Classical period - I (III) -X centuries. n. BC - the time of the final formation and flowering of the Mayan culture. Throughout the Maya territory, urban centers with subordinate territories of the city-state appeared. As a rule, the cities in these territories were no further than 30 km from the center, which was apparently due to communication problems due to the lack of draft animals in the region. The population of the largest city-states (Tikal, Calakmul, Caracol) reached 50-70 thousand people. The rulers of large kingdoms bore the title of Ahav, and the centers subordinate to them were ruled by local rulers - Sahals. The latter were not appointed officials, but came from local ruling families. There was also a complex palace hierarchy: scribes, officials, masters of ceremonies, etc.

Despite the changing structure of social relations, power in city-states was transferred according to a tribal pattern, which was expressed in the magnificent cult of deified royal ancestors, in addition, power could also belong to women. Since Mayan acropolises and cities were of a “genetic” nature and were associated only with specific representatives of one or another clan, this was the reason for the periodic abandonment of individual acropolises and the final “abandonment” of Mayan cities in the 10th century, when the invading invaders destroyed members of the elite related by blood relationship with ancestors buried within the acropolises (pyramids). Without such a connection, the acropolis lost its significance as a symbol of power.

Social structure

Evidence of a tendency towards centralization of power in the 3rd-10th centuries. - usurpation by the rulers of capital centers of the ritual ball game, the emergence of which dates back to the times of intra-tribal rotation of power and collective decision-making. The aristocracy concentrated in its hands the trade in valuable items, cocoa beans and minerals used for making jewelry and handicrafts - obsidian, jadeite, etc. Trade routes ran both over land and along rivers and seas, going far into foreign territories.

Hieroglyphic texts mention priests divided into

• priest-ideologists,
• priest-astronomers,
• "seeing" and
• soothsayers.

Psychedelic practices were used for divination.

Detail of a sacred fresco from San Bartolo (Guatemala). OK. 150 BC The painting depicts the birth of the cosmos and proves the divine right of the ruler.

The basis of the society was made up of free community members who settled in family households, sometimes near cities, and sometimes at a considerable distance from them, which is due to the nature of land use and the need to change (due to a decrease in yield) every 4 years the sown plots cultivated by the family.

In their free time from sowing and harvesting, community members participated in public works and military campaigns. Only in the postclassical period did a special layer of semi-professional Kholkan warriors begin to emerge, who demanded “services and offerings” from the community.

Mayan texts often mention military leaders. Wars were in the nature of short-term raids to ruin the enemy and sometimes capture prisoners. Wars in the region were constant and contributed to the restructuring of political power, strengthening some cities while weakening and subjugating others. There is no data on slavery among the Classic Mayans. If slaves were used, it was as domestic servants.

There is no information about the Mayan legal system.

Crisis of the 10th century - political and cultural restructuring

By the 10th century V Central region active migrations begin, while the population decreases sharply, by 3-6 times. Urban centers fall into disrepair, political life comes to a standstill. There is almost no construction going on. The guidelines in ideology and art are changing - the cult of the royal ancestors is losing its primary importance, while the justification for the power of the ruler is the origin of the legendary “Toltec conquerors”.

In Yucatan, the crisis of the end of the classical period did not lead to a decline in population and the fall of cities. In a number of cases, hegemony moves from old, classical centers to new ones. The processes of social and political change after the destruction of the traditional Mayan system of urban government by the Toltecs are observed in the postclassic period in the example of such cities as

• Chichen Itza of the Toltecs in the X-XIII centuries;
• Mayapan during the reign of the Cocoms in the 13th-15th centuries;
• postclassical Mani, under whose command in the 16th century. there were 17 towns and villages.

By the time the Spaniards appeared in the southeast of Yucatan, the state of Acalan (Maya-Chontal) had formed, where the capital city of Itzamkanak with 76 subordinate cities and villages had already emerged. It contains an administration, temples, 100 houses made of stone, 4 quarters with their patrons and their temples, a council of quarter heads.

Confederations of cities with their own capital became a new type of political-territorial entities that controlled the political, administrative, religious and scientific spheres of life. In the spiritual sphere, the concept of reincarnation goes into the realm of religious abstraction, which allows cities (emerging capitals) to retain their functions even after a change of power. Internecine wars become the norm, the city acquires defensive characteristics. At the same time, the territory is growing and the control and protection system is becoming more complex.

The Yucatan Mayans had slavery and trade in slaves was developed. Slaves were used to carry heavy loads and homework, but more often acquired for sacrifice.

In mountainous Guatemala, with the onset of the Postclassic period, the “Maya-Toltec style” spread. Obviously, the infiltrated nahuacultural groups were, as in Yucatan, assimilated by the local population. As a result, a confederation of 4 Mayan tribes was formed - Kaqchiquel, Quiche, Tzutihil and Rabinal, which subjugated in the XIII-XIV centuries. various Mayan and Nahua-speaking tribes of highland Guatemala. As a result of civil strife, the confederation soon disintegrated, almost simultaneously with the invasion of the Aztecs and the appearance at the beginning of the 16th century. Spaniards.

Economic activity

The Mayans practiced extensive slash-and-burn agriculture with regular rotation of plots. Main crop There were maize and beans, which formed the basis of the diet. Of particular value were cocoa beans, which were also used as a unit of exchange. They grew cotton. The Mayans had no domestic animals, with the exception of a special breed of dogs, which were sometimes used as food, poultry - turkeys. The function of the cat was performed by the nose, a type of raccoon.

In the classical period, the Mayans actively used irrigation and other methods of intensive agriculture, in particular “raised fields” similar to the famous Aztec chinampas: artificial embankments were created in river valleys, which rose above the water during floods and retained silt, which significantly increased fertility. To increase productivity, the plot was simultaneously sown with maize and legumes, which created the effect of fertilizing the soil. Fruit trees and chile peppers, which are an important component of the Indian diet, were planted near the dwelling.

Land ownership continued to remain communal. The institution of the dependent population was underdeveloped. The main area of ​​its application could be plantations of perennial crops - cocoa, fruit trees, which were privately owned.

Mayan civilization culture

Scientific knowledge and writing

The Mayans developed a complex picture of the world, which was based on ideas about reincarnation and the endless alternation of cycles of the universe. For their constructions, they used precise mathematical and astronomical knowledge, combining the cycles of the Moon, Sun, planets and the time of the precessional revolution of the Earth.

The complication of the scientific picture of the world required the development of a writing system based on the Olmec. The Mayan writing was phonetic, morphemic-syllabic, involving the simultaneous use of about 400 characters. One of the earliest inscriptions is from 292 AD. BC - discovered on a stela from Tikal (No. 29). The bulk of the texts were applied to monumental monuments or small plastic objects. A special source is represented by texts on ceramic vessels.

Mayan books

Only 4 Mayan manuscripts have survived - “codes”, representing long strips of paper folded like an accordion (pages) from ficus bark (“Indian paper”), dating back to the Postclassic period, obviously copied from more ancient samples. Regular copying of books was probably practiced in the region from ancient times and was associated with the difficulties of storing manuscripts in a humid, hot climate.

The Dresden manuscript is a strip of “Indian paper” 3.5 m long, 20.5 cm high, folded into 39 pages. It was created earlier than the 13th century. in Yucatan, from where it was taken to Spain as a gift to Emperor Charles V, from whom it came to Vienna, where in 1739 the librarian Johann Christian Götze acquired it from an unknown private person for the Dresden Royal Library.

The Parisian manuscript is a strip of paper with a total length of 1.45 m and 12 cm in height, folded into 11 pages, of which the initial ones are completely erased. The manuscript dates back to the period of the Cocom dynasty in Yucatan (XIII-XV centuries). In 1832 it was acquired by the Parisian National Library(kept here to this day).

The Madrid manuscript was written no earlier than the 15th century. It consists of two fragments without beginning and end of “Indian paper”, 13 cm high, with a total length of 7.15 m, folded into 56 pages. The first part was acquired in Extremadura by José Ignacio Miró in 1875. Since it was suggested that it once belonged to the conqueror of Mexico, Cortez, hence its name - “Code of Cortez”, or Cortesian. The second fragment was acquired by Brasseur de Bourbourg from Don Juan Tro y Ortolano in 1869 and was called Ortolan. The pieces joined together became known as the Madrid Manuscript, and it has since been kept in Madrid in the Museum of the Americas.

Grolier's manuscript was in a private collection in New York. These are rather fragments of 11 pages without beginning or end, dating back to the 13th century. Apparently this Mayan manuscript, the origin of which is unknown, was composed under strong Mixtec influence. This is evidenced by the specific recording of numbers and features of the images.

Texts on Mayan ceramic vessels are called “clay books.” The texts reflect almost all aspects of the life of ancient society, from everyday life to complex religious ideas.

The Mayan script was deciphered in the 50s of the 20th century. Yu.V. Knorozov based on the method of positional statistics he developed.

Architecture

Mayan architecture reached its peak in the classical period: ceremonial complexes, conventionally called acropolises, with pyramids, palace buildings and ball stadiums were actively erected. The buildings were grouped around a central rectangular square. The buildings were erected on massive platforms. During construction, a “false vault” was used - the space between the roof masonry gradually narrowed upward until the walls of the vault closed. The roof was often crowned with massive ridges decorated with stucco. Construction techniques could vary from stone masonry to concrete-like masses and even bricks. The buildings were painted, often red.

There are two main types of buildings - palaces and temples on pyramids. Palaces were long, usually one-story buildings, standing on platforms, sometimes multi-tiered. At the same time, the passage through the enfilades of rooms resembled a labyrinth. There were no windows and light came in only through doorways and special ventilation holes. Perhaps the palace buildings were identified with long cave passages. Almost the only example of buildings with several floors is the palace complex in Palenque, where a tower was also erected.

The temples were built on pyramids, the height of which sometimes reached 50-60 m. Multi-stage staircases led to the temple. The pyramid embodied the mountain in which the legendary cave of our ancestors was located. Therefore, an elite burial could occur here - sometimes under the pyramid, sometimes in its thickness, and more often immediately under the floor of the temple. In some cases, the pyramid was built directly over a natural cave. The structure on top of the pyramid, conventionally called a temple, did not have the aesthetics of an internal very limited space. The doorway and the bench placed against the wall opposite this opening had functional significance. The temple served only to mark the exit from the cave of the ancestors, as evidenced by its external decoration and sometimes its connection with the intra-pyramidal burial chambers.

In the Postclassic period, a new type of square and structures appeared. The ensemble is formed around the pyramid. Covered galleries with columns are being built on the sides of the square. In the center there is a small ceremonial platform. Platforms for risers appear with poles studded with skulls. The structures themselves are significantly reduced in size, sometimes not corresponding to human growth.

Sculpture

The friezes of buildings and massive roof ridges were covered with stucco made of lime mortar - a piece. The lintels of temples and the steles and altars erected at the foot of the pyramids were covered with carvings and inscriptions. In most areas they were limited to relief techniques; only in Copan did round sculpture become widespread. Palace and battle scenes, rituals, faces of deities, etc. were depicted. Like buildings, inscriptions and monuments were usually painted.

Monumental sculpture also includes Mayan steles - flat, about 2 m high monoliths, covered with carvings or paintings. The highest steles reach 10 m. Steles are usually associated with altars - round or rectangular stones installed in front of the steles. Steles with altars were an improvement on Olmec monuments and served to convey the three-level space of the universe: the altar symbolized the lower level - the transition between worlds, the middle level was occupied by the image of events occurring with a specific character, and the upper level symbolized the rebirth of a new life. In the absence of an altar, the subject depicted on it was compensated by the appearance on the stele of a lower, “cave” level, or a relief niche, inside which the main image was placed. In some cities, roughly rounded flat altars placed on the ground in front of the stele, or stone figured images of reptiles, as for example in Copan, became widespread.

The texts on the steles could be dedicated to historical events, but most often they were of a calendar nature, marking the periods of the reign of one or another ruler.

Painting

Works of monumental painting were created on the interior walls of buildings and burial chambers. The paint was applied either over wet plaster (fresco) or over dry ground. The main theme of the paintings is mass scenes of battles, celebrations, etc. The most famous are the Bonampak paintings - buildings of three rooms, the walls and ceilings of which are entirely covered with paintings, dedicated to victory in military operations. TO fine arts The Maya include polychrome painting on ceramics, characterized by a great variety of subjects, as well as drawings in “codes”.

Dramatic art

The dramatic art of the Maya came directly from religious ceremonies. The only work that has come down to us is the drama of Rabinal-Achi, recorded in the 19th century. The plot is based on the capture of a Quiché warrior by warriors of the Rabinal community. The action develops in the form of a kind of dialogue between the prisoner and the other main characters. The main poetic device is rhythmic repetition, traditional for oral Indian folklore: the participant in the dialogue repeats the phrase spoken by his opponent, and then pronounces his own. Historical events- Rabinal's wars with the Quiché - are superimposed on a mythological basis - the legend of the abduction of the goddess of waters, the wife of the old god of rain. The drama ended with the real sacrifice of the main character. Information has been received about the existence of others dramatic works, as well as comedies.

Ancient Mayan civilization, Central America. Territory modern states Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Solvador.
Maya - modern and ancient Indian people, who created a highly developed civilization that preserves traditions to this day.

Location and directions

Geographic coordinates
Latitude 23°56′26″N (23.940526)
Longitude 102°31′35″W (-102.526313)
Directions from Moscow: By plane to Havana (Cuba) - 13 hours, then by plane to Mexico City - 3 hours.
Directions from St. Petersburg: via Moscow (see above)
Distance from Moscow - 10,500 km, from St. Petersburg - 9,910 km.

What to visit. Brief history and interesting places

Puerto Vallarta

Yucatan Peninsula

What to visit. Interesting historical and geographical sites.
Puerto Vallarta is a resort on the west coast of Mexico.
The Yucatan Peninsula is located in the southern part of Eastern Mexico.
Oaxaca is a city in Mexico on the southern coast rich in natural and Mayan-made attractions.

Chichen Itza is a city built with Mayan temples that amaze with their grandeur and beauty.
Brief history.
Wonderful people.
History of the name (toponym).

Video installation of the ancient city

Mayan civilization
The film was created by Mathias Kohlschmidt and the Maya-3d team. The history of peoples and cultures belonging to the Mayan civilization goes back more than 2,500 years. Cities and settlements covered the territories of modern Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, the southeastern states of Mexico and the Yucatan Peninsula. Based on archaeological research of architectural and historical monuments that have survived to this day, it was possible to recreate the approximate appearance of ancient Mayan cities, show the decor of buildings and their interior decoration.
The author of the site was directed to this link by the Internet portal Runivers, for which he, and especially the site www.archi.ru, are deeply grateful. Such beauty combined with great music should be seen by as many caring people as possible and educated people, and most importantly, so that our children appreciate the work of the authors of historical restorations and admire what they see, setting out to create similar beauties.

Video

Secrets of the Mayan Civilization. Why did the great Mayan civilization suddenly disappear?

How empires were created. Mayan civilization.

Lost Mayan Cities

Photos and images

Map of the cities of the Mayan civilization

By the beginning of the Spanish conquest in the 16th century, the Mayan culture occupied a vast and diverse natural conditions a territory that included the modern Mexican states of Tabasco, Chiapas, Campeche, Yucatan and Quintana Roo, as well as all of Guatemala, Belize (formerly British Honduras), the western regions of El Salvador and Honduras. The borders of the Mayan civilization region in the 1st millennium were apparently more or less coincided with those mentioned above. Currently, most scientists distinguish within this territory three large cultural-geographical regions, or zones: Northern, Central and Southern.

Map of the cities of the Mayan civilization