The Mayan culture; where do we start?
How to summarize one of the most brilliant and powerful known cultures of Mesoamerica and the world? A culture that spanned a period of three thousand years, a culture that is still alive, a culture that is breathed in the Mayan people… Without a doubt, it is one of the most amazing cultures in the history of mankind.
This Mesoamerican civilization developed on an area that currently includes part of Mexico and Central America, during a period of approximately 3000 years (from 2000 BC to 1000 AD).
Between the years 100 and 250 of our era, a transition seems to have occurred, the Mayan civilization fully developed, the villages grew in size, demography and complexity, thus emerging the first large cities such as Dzibilchaltún, Calakmul, and El Mirador. Likewise, huge foundations were built on which temples, palaces, buildings, ball courts were erected for various purposes.
The so-called pyramids were actually temples or sanctuaries dedicated to one or more deities, such as:
- 5-story temple Location:Edzná
- NohochMul Location:Cobá
- Fortune teller Location:Uxmal
- Temple of the Inscriptions Location:Palenque
- Temple elevated Location: PalenqueTikal
It is said that the time of greatest splendor was during the 3rd to the 10th centuries of our era, which despite the fact that it varied from one region to another, allowed to frame the same boom on development of religion, politics, economics, science and arts. The main deity was Itzamná, “House of iguanas”, creator of the existent and represented by a celestial monster in which all the principles merge:
Life, death, light and darkness, abundance and scarcity.
In the periods of 1000-1450 it underwent great transformations that gave rise to a new architecture; Some of the old cities suffered political and economic turns that originated important demographic changes, in cities such as Cobá, Ek-Balam, Izamal and Edzná and settlements arose in Itlamkanac, Mayapan and Tulum, among others.
The Mayan cities were independent states from each other, without having a political unit, each one had its own government, controlled by the figure of a chief, priest or ‘halachuinic’, it was a theocratic government and the political power was transmitted by inheritance of the nobles, making a society divided into social strata. Without a doubt, the Mayan culture has much to be told and much to be discovered. Therefore, I will allow myself to refer substantially to some of the main characteristics that define the Mayan culture:
• Polytheists, various gods related to nature. The Mayan conception of the world contemplated 13 levels in the sky and nine in the underworld, but between the two was the world of the living; in turn, each level consisted of four cardinal points, each associated with a distinctive color
• Economy was based on agriculture, which was carried out by peasants on the outskirts of city-states.
• They developed great knowledge of mathematics, astrology and writing.
• They built great pyramids as social centers and temples of worship to their gods.
• They invented the only complete writing system in pre-Columbian America.
• The Mayans had their own numerical system and it is believed that they created the concept of the number 0 before other cultures.
• The ball game has a religious sense, the ball represented the Sun, the players in this show were generally prisoners of war and for that reason, the losing team was beheaded.
The Mayan culture attracts millions of national and foreign tourists, it is part of the great pride of Mexicans, it represents a factor of tourism “great engine of the national economy“, without a doubt it is one of the most amazing cultures in the history of the humanity.
In “Wyndham Grand, Mayakaan Residences Riviera Maya” and in honor of the Mayan culture there will be two large Mayan sculptural heads at the entrance, 10 meters high, surrounded by fountains and waterfalls, which will be the main attraction point from this residential hotel resort to the passage of drivers along the Cancun-Playa del Carmen highway.
