Rise+of+the+Mayan+Empire+Essay

Rise of the Maya Essay  ** __Our world today can learn many things from the rise of the Mayans.__ The Mayans were a successful empire for a few reasons. They had a complex way of communicating with one another, through writing. They were one of the first civilizations to communicate in this way. The Mayans had many different gods that held them together as a society. They were very resourceful and used everything they had in their surroundings to make life as efficient as possible. ** ** ** **
 * The Mayans had one of the most advanced writing systems in that time, which contributed to how well they worked as a society. They therefore had a second efficient way of communicating with one another, in addition to verbal communication. The Mayans wrote using pictures or hieroglyphics. Most of their words were phonetic, much like our language today. With our writing system, we have 26 different letters that make up our alphabet. However, the Mayans had a different symbol for every syllable. The Mayans had a very advanced system of communication. They wrote on large pieces of stone called steles. They also wrote in books. The paper in the books was made from the bark of a tree and these books were bound with wood and deer hide. Their system was very advanced for their time, and is more complicated then our writing system today.
 * The entire Mayan empire was held together by religion, as most of the things they did were for the benefit of their gods and they all followed the same religion, unlike today. The Mayans believed in many gods, but inside their society they followed one religion. There wasn’t just one God, but several. Their social order revolved around and was shaped by religion. They sacrificed animals, plants and even sometimes humans for their gods. The Mayan people worshiped agricultural gods and rain gods as well as many others. The many ceremonies they held were rituals where dancing and prayers would take place. Even their art was used for religious purposes. They used steles to mark religious dates. The Mayans believed each of the thirteen layers in their universe had its own god. Religion was used in every part of the Mayan society. They believed that their gods influenced most things they did. **
 * The Mayans were very resourceful. They used what they had around them to make their lives. The Mayan people used the resources they had around them to make their way of life. They used steles for their art because there were many rocks around them. They cultivated fields, in which they mainly grew beans and squash. They traded with other people for items, which they needed but did not have. They had salts, jade and textiles to trade with.
 * The Mayans knew how to tell time. They knew when the sun was directly overhead and passing over their latitude, because on these days, they wouldn’t have a shadow. They used light and their own shadows to track time. The Mayan people also tracked patterns in the sky to mark the changing of the seasons. These observations and knowledge told them when to plant, when to harvest and when to store food crops.
 * The Mayans were such a successful society because of their writing system, the connection and devotion in their society to their gods and their resourcefulness in building successful daily lives. The society had a very complex writing system that allowed them to communicate with each other. It was very sophisticated and advanced for their time. They were also connected through their religious beliefs. Although they believed in many different gods, they all did similar things for their god. They Mayan empire was very resourceful. They used everything that was available to them. They could determine when the seasons were changing, or what time it was. They were a successful society because they worked well as a whole. **
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Maya Gods and Goddesses **
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**Maya Civilization** ****Rise of the Mayan Empire Home****     
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Maya Home 