Mayan Ruins
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Abstract
The ancient Mayan Ruins are a phenomena that are still being uncovered today. The topography consists of lowlands and highlands that spread over several parts of the Yucatan and Belize. A Limestone shelf makes up the lowlands today. The formation of Limestone is made from Calcium Carbonate and/or silicates which can be referred to as diatoms. Plankton are sea entities which form to produce Calcium Carbonate close to the shore levels. Also, Limestone makes up about 10% of the volume in Sedimentary rocks. The build up of hard and soft Sedimentary rocks are a result of the rising and falling sea level. In turn, the deposition of silt, sand, and clay form the delta in which the Limestone forms. However, it was not always so that Limestone made up alot of the lowlands. The rainforest covered much of the lowlands and stretched to about 150 feet! Scattered savannas and swamps interupted these dense forests. The volcanic highlands can be accredited to producing Jade, Obsidan, and Cinnabar. Although the lowlands did not play a significant role in producing these metals for trade, they were used for trade routes for the native people. The Mayan Civilization may have collapsed for several reasons. Some scientists believe it could have been a scarcity of water or the fact that they were simply overpopulated. It is estimated that 1.2 million people living near the Yucatan are Mayan descendants. In this project I plan to explain the topography and the makeup of the pyramids more in depth. Also, I would like to discover how the highlands and the lowlands influenced daily tasks and living. http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=mayan+ruin+images
Introduction
The Mayan Civilization is a Mesoamerican civilization and noted for the only fully developed written language in the pre-Columbian Americas, as well as its spectacular art, monumental archetecture, and high-tech mathematical and astronomical systems. The term "Maya" derives from "Mayan" which means people of a region who share some degree of cultural linguistic heritage.However, there are many distinct population groups and distinguished societies within the Mayan population. The Mayan and the Mesoamericans share quite a bit of cultural similarities because they were established around the same time period. The Mayan are all too often times accreditied with creating the calender. However, it is only true that they tweaked it. Many outside forces influenced their architecture such as trade. Even today, Mayans maintain standards and ideologies that coincide with their Roman-Catholic beliefs. The largest group still in existence today with a population of 6 million people are the Yucatec Mayan. These Mayan people are located near the Yucatan Penninsula close to Cozymel. They are just Mayan and do not claim a trible like many other deritaives of the Mayan culture. Their primary or secondary language is Spanish. http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=mayan+ruin+images
History
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Mayan+ruin+images There are four time periods that involve the Mayan Civilization and history. They include: the Preclassic, Classic, Post-Classic, and Colonial Period. During the Preclassic period archelological influence suggests a sense of hierarchy in the Mayan Civilization. The commoners would dwell in the lowlands while the kings and royalty would live in the highlands. Some of the earliest archeology includes burial grounds which are precursors to Mayan pyramids. The Mayan pyramids are distinct in the Late Preclassic era of Mayan civilization. During the Classic period (c.250-900), the most common monuments were pyramids that acted as religious centers and housed the great Mayan rulers.
Archeological Information
Important archeological remains include carved stone slabs. These are called "stelae," however, according to the Mayan, they were referred to as "tetun." This is also known as tree stone. Tree stones were used to refer to rulers and would depict their heritage and honors. Interestingly enough, the Mayan would trade archeological goods such as caco, salt, sea shells, jade, and obisdan. They would trade these things through routes of rivers in Mexico. Also, some archeologists believe that many of the gold findings in the ruins came from the Panama in the Sacred Cenote of Chicken Itza. Mayan architecture spans for thousands of years. However, the most important architecture consists of the pyramids from the Terminal Pre-Classic period. Suprisingly, caves were very important to the Mayan people. Some important ones include Jolja Cave, Naj Tunich, the Candelaria Caves, and the Cave Witch. Caves form from splethothems or deposits on the walls, celing, or floor of the cave. One part of the cave is the Stalacite. These are the formations on the ceiling of the cave that look like icicles. They are formed from a single drop of water combined with calcium carbonate, carbon dioxide, and calcite. The water drop is squeezed from between the rocks and drops to the floor leaving behind a deposit of dissolved calcite. Also, Stalagmites form on the cave floors opposite of the Stalagcites. They are a result of the excess water of the Stalagcites and form from the floor up of the cave. All of these cave features are still present in some Mayan caves today. Also, some of these caves are still used by the Mayan presently. The design of the Mayan Ruins spread throughout a wide variety of Mesoamerica. These Mayan pyramids were made of Sedimentary rocks. Sedimentary rocks are formed over thousands of years and are broken down by wind and water. They are washed down over time by earth and form layers on top of each other. These layers are pressed down over time until the bottom layer forms rock. The Mayan built their pyramids extremely tall to act as landmarks above the jungle trees. Some pyramids were built for burial for people of high rankings. Inside these burial rooms were valuables such as Jade. They left these for the dead as an offer of respect.
Topography of the Ruins
The topography depicted a great deal of natural features, and their cities and dwellings were built speratically throughout the location. Some dwellings were built on the hills of the Usumacinta to maximize the heights of their towers and temples. However, some cities were built on limestone plains of the northern Yucatan and grew into large great productive cities. Open public city plazas served as a place of gathering, much like our shopping malls and restaurants today. The interior space of these dwellings were only minimal. In the center of the Mayan city were government buildings and religious halls or churches. This may have impacted many societies because in many cultures, this is still true. In these religious shrines the Mayan would study the orbits of the heavens and perform rituals, one of which was human sacrifice. Outside of these centers the lesser important shrines and temples. Also, since these temples were of less worth, they were granted less privacy.
Personal Experience
I visited Cozymel, Mexico last summer and actually went to the Mayan ruins. Our tour guide was Mayan and provided alot of insight into the ruins. We rode four-wheelers all through the site. The Mayan were very superstitious people and believed in karma for example. They had a fertility temple where the women would go and sit and hope to become pregnant. The women were seen as givers of life. Also, the Mayan had their own water sources in which only they could use. This is even true today. The Mayan water can only be used by the Mayan people because they have a predisposition to it. Since they do not screen their water sources for impurities such as septic fluids, it is not advised that one should drink their water. Our tour guide dipped his water bottle into the lake and drank the water as he was talking to us! http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=mayan+ruin+images
References
Chaiappari, Christopher L (2002). "Toward a Mayan Theory of Liberation: The Reformulation of a Traditional Religion in the Global Context." http://www.chacchobenruins.com/wst_page4.html
Ray, Steve. Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL. http://www.nasa.gov/centers/marshall/multimedia/photos/2006/photos06-018.html
Warren, Kay. (1998). "Indigneuos Movements and their critics: Pan Mayan Activism in Guatemala." http://mayanruins.com/geo.html/artifacts
Webster, David L. (2002). "The Fall of the Ancient Maya." London: Thames & Hudson. http://historylink101.com/1/mayan/ancient_mayan.htm
