The Mayan Culture

The Mayan Culture

They were located Yucatan, the coastal plain of Tabasco, the Lacandona forest and of the Guatemalan Petén, Belize, high territories of Chiapas and Guatemala and the western regions of Honduras and El Salvador.

They reached their fullness between centuries IV and X of ours were. During the time called the New Empire they arrived to the Península of Yucatan, and founded the city of Chichén Itzá and they allied with the cities of Uxmal and Mayapán, forming the Triple Alliance, that dominated all the north of Yucatan.

The Mayans depended on agriculture and the commerce, which was very active. They had great artistic development and they counted on important scientific knowledge. Towards century XII the Triple Alliance came to an end. It is not known with certainty what happened, but it is deduced that it could be the Earth weakening, the appearance of epidemics, the internal invasions, or revolutions what took to the Mayans to its decay.

Government

The political and social organization was organized in independent cities in which each one had its own government. Their highest authority uinic was halach: "true man", who was in charge of solving all the subjects of the city and was advised by heads and priests.

The priests belonged to the nobility, were the only possessors of knowledge as to know the calendar, the mathematics and astronomy.

In the smaller social levels they were the earth constructors and workers.

At the end of the social layers they were the slaves, that could be bought in the market and which prisoners could be military.

Religion

Old Mayans had a politheistic religion based on the attributes of the nature and the space, therefore a God could be identified with the water, the Earth and even with the death.

For the Mayan Culture the universe it is constituted in three great parts that are:

1. Sky 2. The Earth 3. The Infraworld

the sky, divided in 13 levels, resides the stars, who are the Gods Ixchel (the Moon) and Nohok Ek (Venus). The space this represented by Itzamná, the dragoon that imagines like a serpent covered in feathers of two heads or a dragoon. This God, that is the supreme one in the Mayan religion, symbolizes the fecundante energy of the cosmos, that instills life to all the universe.

______ Venus ___________________ The Moon ______

The Earth is a flat plate that floats on the water; but also it is conceived as a great crocodile or lizard in whose back the vegetation grows. The yucatecan called it Chac Mumul Ain, Quetzalcóatl or Kukulcán.

Kukulcán

The infraworld is divided in nine layers; in deepest it resides the God of the death, Ah Puch, "emaciated" or the Kisin, "stinky" respectively represented like a human skeleton and/or a corrupt body.

____ Representations of the Creation _____________ Kisin _____

The cosmos was done for the to use and has existed several times, because the Gods destroyed it and they returned to create to do it better, and the purpose of this is the evolution of men, and every time the cosmos is re.constructed, better men appear.

These religious concepts were the base of a ritual complex in as they fed the Gods by means of offerings, that consisted of scents of flowers, incense, flavors of prepared foods, and on all the spirit of animals and men who resided in the blood and the heart.

Tributes

The Mayans practiced several types of sacrifice, like the decapitation, the flechamiento, the immersion in the Sacred Natural well of Chichén Itzá and the extraction of the heart. The autosacrifices and sacrifices were practiced with the calendaric periods, that included orations, processions, dances, songs, dramatic representations. In the celebrations, the priests and noble ingested alcoholic beverages, that were considered sacred, to prepare the spirit for the contact with the Gods.

Agriculture

Agriculture was a central activity in the life of the Mayans, used with more frequency those of extensive type, as the system of clear-knock down-burns, and those of intensive type, like the irrigation and the terraces. They combined both techniques with other alternatives, like the harvesting, the domestic orchards, the broken ridges or camps, the arboriculture, the hunting and the fishing. They lived in the forests. The techniques should get used to the amount and quality of the Earth available, to the type of cultures and diverse socioeconomic factors.

Sciences

They had a numerical system and they knew the existence the zero, the division of fractions and the logarithms. Their writing was hieroglyphic.

In Literature they produced books in which they narrated its origins, legend and mythologies. Its architecture was distinguished by temples constructed in piramidal form, by the ball games, the astronomical observatories, as well as by the use of the false arc.

They were also great potters and painters, of this last one stand out the fresh airs of the city of Bonampak.

In addition, the Mayans had a very exact calendar. They measured the time of three different forms: - Tzolkin Calendar (sacred calendar), of 260 Di'as.-Calendario Haab (civil calendar), of 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes and 46 Segundos.-Calendar of long account, that is a mixture of the Tzolkin and the Haab.

The first ideas respect the calendar were possibly developed by Olmec Culture

Its mathematical system was based on number 20:

Some important characteristics of the Mayan constructions are the stucco use, the false vault, the watersheds, etc... The walls of the constructions were heavy and the space that was in the inner one was quite small. At some rooms the light never arrived.

Flora and fauna

Within the fauna, the Mayan town knew the deer, the pecarí or wild boar, tepezcuintle, the armadillo, the manati, the rabbit, malixpec (xoloitzcuintle between the Aztecs), tapir, the wild boar, the monkey, tuza, tuza real, the mount cereque, pheasant, doves, turkey, guajolote or domestic turkey, the mount perdiz, quail, chachalaca, gallinola, hen, the iguana, the normal or salty fish, the ostión and other birds and mammals that provided their meat to them for food as much, as stops sacrifice or ritual offering.

Between its flora is the oak, the cedar, mahogany, jabín, chakáh and now very little henequén (it is our green gold)

How to get to:

to the Forest the Candona

The Forest the Candona is not in a place in specific if not in a zone, and Altamirano is one of the most visited places, and is in zone of the Forest La Candona.

At the state of Chiapas it is possible to arrive by air and by land.

From Mexico DF a highway in good state exists that leads to Tuxtla Gutiérrez, the capital of Chiapas. If it looks for greater comfort, can approach some of the flights that land in the local airport.

By air, the National Airport of Terán de Tuxtla Gutiérrez, State Capital of Chiapas, receives originating flights of Mexico DF.

The trip lasts so single one hour with 20 minutes.

By earth, the State Capital of Chiapas, Tutxla Gutiérrez, is to 1.080 kilometers of Mexico DF. The hard trip around 14 hours and the price of the ticket in omnibus are of 40 dollars, approximately. The units, in their great majority, are equipped with conditioned air, hygienic television and services. In Mexico, the buses leave from the Terminal of Buses the West East (I COVER), located in Road Ignacio Zaragoza 200, Colony 10 of May, telephone (52) 5762-5983. If you think to rent a car or to go in its own vehicle, must take the Pan-American highway (well-known also like 190). It is recommended to lead by day, because in the nights the powerboats usually are closed and is very difficult to find mechanical service in the zone.

To Mérida, Yucatan

As you already know it, the Mayans also lived in almost all Yucatan. So instead of going to an historical center of any type or some archaeological zone, we go away direct to the capital. Mérida is to 1.510 kilometers of the City of Mexico.

In spite of this apparent "great distance", it is very simple to visit the State Capital of Yucatan, so it is not discouraged, it prepares the suitcases and it initiates his passage by air or earth.

By Air:

the Airport the International Manuel Crescencio Rejón, to 15 minutes of the center of Mérida, receives daily flights of the City of Mexico. The trip lasts one hour with 40 minutes, approximately.

By earth:

it is the ideal route for the travellers who are not urged by the time. The passage by highway from the City of Mexico is very long and lasts, approximately, 20 hours. The units that cover the route, leave from the Terminal of Buses the West East (I COVER), in the Road Ignacio Zaragoza 200, Colony 10 of May, Federal District.

To Guatemala

Also we know that they were in some regions in the Center of Amercia, and although is difficult the route, thanks to God in this century we counted on airplanes, and with very efficient and fast terrestrial and marine transports. In all these routes towards America center, we will take like reference to Chiapas in the maps. As To arrive by Aerial Route It is possible to enter the City of Guatemala by air solely arriving at his international Airport, the Airport the International the Aurora, at where they also arrive the flights of national character. Located within the city and according to they indicate the data historical, this airport was constructed Fifties in the heat of. Today, among other services to the passenger, it counts on banks, tellers ATM and taximeter during the twenty-four hours. One is located to so single three kilometers of the Alive Zone of the city, to approximately eight kilometers of the Historical Center and to about thirty kilometers of Old Guatemala. The airline companies that commonly operate in this airport are: Airlines glass, Group MARK, Continental Airlines, Tikal Mexican Jets and of Aviation, among others. The majority makes the stop at the most important cities of the United States. www.dgac.gob.gt (Airport the International the Aurora) As To arrive by land In Bus the service of buses he is one of most common as far as the transport from, for and within the City of Guatemala. Through this means it is possible to accede to the different more important population centers from all Guatemala of the economic and accessible form. The way that usually is used for the transfer in bus is the highways of the Petén; those that can as well be dangerous due to their important mud base that during rains inclusively becomes slippery and has arrived until cutting the step. However, it is possible to make use of the microbuses, a relatively recent service, established with the only objective to unite the centers of tourist attraction more outstanding.

From El Salvador also is possible to travel to Guatemala in bus, since direct transfers exist towards the city of Guatemala. From Mexico for example, it is possible to enter just after a long trip either in bus or in railroad.

by sea,

It is possible to accede by sea to Guatemala in case of taking a boat in the port from Fat Pta. of Belize soon to disembark in Livingston or Port Districts. On the other hand a boat exists in addition that it connects in route to Livingston with Omoa of Honduras. Despite the trip companies are common that offer services of cruises.

To Honduras

In this one case there is a very good page of Internet, which says to them where and like staying itself, whichever archaeological and tourist hill, zones and more... http://www.visitehonduras.com/

El Salvador

El Salvador counts on many hotel chains of good quality and accessible prices, also tell copn very good tourist zones and with a good climate.

by Aerial Route

For being able to accede to San Salvador by air the airport of El Salvador exists the International; located to exactly sixty and two kilometers of the city itself, a passage that in time would be equivalent to a trip of half an hour. This airport counts on restaurants, duty free stores, the premises to rent automobiles, service of taxis, bank and centers of currency change. On the other hand it also counts on buses that daily connect it with the city. The flights of greater frequency are originating of Buenos Aires with scale in Miami, of Madrid, Mexico DF doing scale in City of Guatemala and New York the duration of each one of these flights varies between the two and five hours. Also from within of El Salvador it is possible to travel by air, for example from San Salvador to the Union, Usulutám or San Miguel. by land In bus At the moment San Salvador counts on diverse companies of buses that make their connection with the City of Guatemala possible, from where each one hour leaves units standard type or luxury. This passage in time is equivalent to five hours of trip whereas via Tegucigalpa, another one of the options possible to take, the duration of the passage is equivalent approximately to seven hours of trip.

From San Salvador to Tegucigalpa, the frequency on watch of buses is minimum, since it is counted on only two buses per day. Despite and service in general it is good in spite of the great number of passengers that characterizes them in each trip. Also connections through bus to other important cities of Panama, Costa Rica and Nicaragua.En exist automobile In order to travel in automobile it is important to know how that in case of arriving at the border outside the schedule of stipulated office it will be necessary to pay a certain rate to be able to cross it. The schedule of office of Monday through Friday is from 12,00 to 14,00 hs. and from 18,00 to 08.00. Approximately twelve thousand kilometers of road network exist of which one third part is completely apt to travel at any time of the year, since to be paved usually they are not affected in rains or drought. The hand by which it is conducted correctly is the right and by a greater security he is more than advisable to travel during the day. With respect to the necessary documentation, one will be due to count on a driving licence national or international, in case of being a vehicle with foreign matriculation, it will be able to remain in the country up to thirty days being able to extend the permission until the sixty. A national or international permission can be used to lead. The foreign vehicles only can remain the country during 30 days. However, it is possible to ask for an extension by other 60 days to the authorities of Customs and Transports of El Salvador. Like Arriving in Train Although nowadays San Salvador does not count on connections of railway character with Guatemala, also yes it has six hundred kilometers of via which they unite it with Angiauatu, San Jero'nimo, Cutuco and Acajutla