Those who travel to the Yucatán Peninsula will recognize the beautiful temple complexes and ruined cities of the Ancient Maya. Peaking in the Maya Classic Period of 250-900 CE, this civilization was home to complex architecture, sophisticated urban design, technological advances, mathematics, gorgeous art, and political intrigues that could rival those of Game of Thrones.
✕ Remove Ads
For many, the Ancient Maya's culture remains mysterious. Although history education in this area is improving, most of the advances in Maya studies have been relegated to academic circles. For people who are casual enjoyers of history, this can make it hard to find out about this amazing civilization.
Even within academic circles, a lot about the Maya remains enigmatic because of the vast cultural destruction in the 16th century. Sadly, there are aspects of the Maya that we'll never know.
Fear not, Maya enthusiasts! Despite the difficulties in understanding this field, there's still so much about the Maya that's been uncovered in the past century by diligent scholars. Discover several mysterious aspects of Ancient Maya culture that have actually been figured out by historians, archaeologists, and scientists.
Related
10 Ancient Mayan Cities You Can Actually Visit Today
Many ancient Mayan city ruins across Central America are open to the public. Here are ten ancient Mayan cities you can visit today.
Posts
7 What Luxury Resources Everyday Mayans Had Access To
The "Pompeii of the Americas" tells us much about the way everyday Mayans lived
Close
✕ Remove Ads
Like those who study Ancient Rome, many scholars and laypeople alike have assumed that living as an everyday person in Maya would mean a complete lack of luxury goods. Misconceptions about the Medieval Era and the drastic inequality of the Victorian Period tend to color people's perceptions about lower and middle-class people's experiences throughout history.
The discovery of Joya de Cerén in El Salvador altered not only how we view common people in Maya culture, but this is one of the many incredible archaeological discoveries that changed the world as we know it. Called the "Pompeii of the Americas," this site in El Salvador is a Maya village that was preserved by a volcanic eruption in 600 CE and was discovered at a construction site in 1976.
What it reveals about everyday life for the Maya cannot be overstated. Ornate pottery imported from Copan and cacao were both found at this site. Even items of jade were found here! Previously, these luxury goods were thought to have been reserved only for the elite of Maya society. While these items were not found in excess, they were still a part of these people's lives.
✕ Remove Ads
This site reveals how assumptions about inequality can color our perception of history. By assuming that all non-elite Maya people lived austere, miserable lives, we deprive them of the joys that they did have access to and deny ourselves the chance to empathize with them. Next time you drink a cup of hot chocolate, take a moment to imagine a common Maya person who did the exact same thing over a thousand years ago!
Why was it mysterious?
Because people assumed that everyday Maya people didn't have access to luxury goods
How was it solved?
A new site was uncovered that revealed everyday people did have access to things like cacao, jade, and ornate pottery
Where do historians stand on this issue today?
That Maya society did not reserve imported luxury items for the elite the way European Medieval and Early Modern civilizations did
6 Why The Maya Lowlands Experienced A Systemic Collapse Between 700 & 900 CE
The Maya Lowlands experienced a system collapse event during the 9th century CE, and many are still confused as to why
Close
✕ Remove Ads
For most people, one of the most mysterious aspects of the Maya Civilization is the collapse of the cities in the Maya Lowlands. Between 700 and 900 CE, many of the most important Maya cities (like Tikal, Calakmul, Palenque, and Copan) were abandoned.
However, at the same time, cities in the Yucatán Peninsula, like Chichen Itza, which is one of the Seven Wonders of the World, thrived. For many, including archaeologists, this is a confusing and mysterious time in history. Yet, a theory has been put forward that helps to solve this mystery: the drought hypothesis.
Most people associate this part of Mesoamerica with lush rainforests full of diverse plants and exotic animals, but they'll be shocked to learn that water scarcity was a problem for the Maya. This isn't because of the amount of rainfall received, but because of the soil.
This part of the world has limestone-based soil with vast underground caverns called cenotes. This soil doesn't retain rainwater well, and that water flows down into the vast cenotes. In order for the Maya to thrive, they had to develop an ingenious water management system. However, this system was evidently not strong enough to withstand a drought.
✕ Remove Ads
During the 9th century CE, when these powerhouse cities were being abandoned, this area was experiencing the worst drought in 7,000 years. It's theorized that the water table was lower in the Maya Lowlands than in the Yucatán, explaining why those cities were able to prosper during this time. They also had the added benefit of sea trade, which helped to keep them afloat.
Although this theory is only one among many, it is the most plausible singular cause for the system collapse faced by the Maya during the 9th century CE. Even though other factors, like environmental issues and political instability, would have played a role in this collapse, the drought theory seems to put most of this mystery to bed.
Why was it mysterious?
Because there's no one singular reason why the Maya Lowlands faced a systems collapse in the 9th century CE
How was it solved?
Environmental research suggested that they faced a horrific drought
Where do historians stand on this issue today?
There's still a lot of controversy surrounding this issue, but many agree that multiple causes (including the drought hypothesis) came together to cause the Maya Lowlands Collapse
✕ Remove Ads
5 What's Inside The Maya Pyramids
What's inside the great pyramids of the Maya will shock you
Close
The pyramids built by the Maya are some of the most incredible pyramids in the world outside of Egypt and can even give the mighty Pyramids of Giza a run for their money for their grandeur. Although these pyramids are a popular travel destination, many do not know what's inside these pyramids. The surprising answer is this: more pyramids!
This has to do with Maya construction methods. Maya pyramids were built in stages across many centuries. Many ajaws (a Maya king of a city) wanted to improve the pyramids and make them larger and grander. Their solution was to simply build over the previous pyramid, giving it a whole new facade and an even bigger size. These ceremonial centers of Maya life were constantly evolving to fit each new generation of Ancient Maya.
✕ Remove Ads
Why was it mysterious?
Most wouldn't expect this to be inside Maya pyramids
How was it solved?
Archaeologists realized that the Maya pyramids actually had smaller iterations of the same pyramid inside them due to different layers of building
Where do historians stand on this issue today?
That the Maya pyramids were built in stages
Related
10 Most Mysterious Ancient Artifacts Ever Discovered
These artifacts from various cultures around the world are still being interpreted and analyzed by archaeologists, leaving lots of questions.
Posts1
4 The Decipherment Of The Maya Script
It took linguists decades to figure out how to read Maya writing
Close
Many don't know this, but the Maya script was only recently translated by archaeologists, linguists, and historians. Although work on decipherment had been ongoing throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, it wasn't until the 1970s that the script was actually fully readable to historians. That means we've only known how to read Maya writing for around 50 years!
✕ Remove Ads
Although it was a collaborative effort that involved many different people, one of the biggest contributions came in 1952 by a man named Yuri Knorozov. His paper suggested that Maya writing wasn't just logographic, but was also phonetic as well. This contradicted the main scholarship at the time, which stated that Maya writing was only logographic. This breakthrough was monumental in helping scholars at the time decipher this long-forgotten system of writing.
Knorozov was a colorful academic figure who always listed his cat, Asya, as a co-author in his papers, and got very upset when editors removed her from publications.
Why was it mysterious?
Because historians couldn't read the Maya script until the 1970s
How was it solved?
Through a breakthrough by Yuri Knorozov
Where do historians stand on this issue today?
The Maya script can be fully read
Related
Be The First To Visit These Four Recently-Opened Mayan Ruins Near Cancun In 2024
The grounds of the popular Kinich Kak Moo pyramid in Yucatán now offer three new Mayan archeological sites to explore.
Posts
3 Maya Mythology
For a long time, historians and archaeologists didn't know much about Maya Mythology
Close
✕ Remove Ads
Unfortunately, due to Spanish colonization, many of the Maya's extensive myths and legends have been lost. Over the past century or so, historians and archaeologists have been trying to reconstruct these stories from inscriptions, artwork, oral tradition, and Spanish accounts. However, every so often, a direct account resurfaces.
In 1941, a Guatemalan historian (Adrian Recinos) discovered an 18th-century manuscript that would change our understanding of Ancient Maya mythology. This was the Popol Vuh. Transcribed in 1701 by a Dominican priest, the Popol Vuh is an account of the K'iche' People of Guatemala that records their history, mythology, and cosmology.
Through this text, historians can understand much about the beliefs of the Pre-Contact Maya. Some of the most important stories provided by this text are the creation of the world, the account of the Hero Twins (Zipacna and Cabracan), the creation of humans, and the creation of the sun and moon.
✕ Remove Ads
Why was it mysterious?
Most of the Ancient Maya religion was lost after Spanish colonization
How was it solved?
Through the rediscovery of the Popol Vuh
Where do historians stand on this issue today?
Historians now know what the Maya creation myth was and the importance of the Hero Twins to Maya religion
2 What Paper The Maya Used
Although only four Maya codices remain today, archaeologists know how their paper was made
Close
One of the world's greatest losses of information occurred when Spanish priests in the 16th century ordered Maya codices to be burned. Fearful of religious differences, these priests (under the direction of Diego de Landa) were responsible for the destruction of thousands of years' worth of culture.
Today, only four codices from the entirety of Maya history remain. Although they reveal much about the way the Maya understood subjects like astronomy, religion, language, and medicine, they contain only a tiny fraction of the Maya's knowledge. Nevertheless, these codices can tell us much more than just the words they contain.
✕ Remove Ads
When studying ancient documents, the physicality of those documents itself matters a lot. The four codices that remain reveal to archaeologists what kind of ink was used, handwriting differences between individuals, and paper.
Based on these four codices, we know that the Maya used a type of paper called amate today (called huun by the Maya themselves). This paper was made from the inner bark of fig trees that had been soaked, beaten, flattened, and dried.
Although no one knows how or when this craft originated, its production continues in Mesoamerica to this day.
Why was it mysterious?
Most Maya codices were lost and traditional paper-making techniques were banned by the Spanish
How was it solved?
By Indigenous people who were able to maintain their traditional knowledge and by scientific analysis
Where do historians stand on this issue today?
Historians now know how the Maya made their paper
✕ Remove Ads
Related
Lost Mayan City Complete With Temple Pyramids Discovered Accidentally in Mexico
Ancient Mayan City Located Next to a Highway and an Agricultural Farming Town
Posts
1 How Maya Blue Was Made
Maya blue was lost to time but was rediscovered in the 20th century
Close
There are plenty of fascinating facts about the Ancient Mayans that few general history books will tell you about. One such fact is one of the Maya's most innovative creations: the pigment known today as Maya blue.
Maya Blue originally appeared in Maya art around 800 CE, after which its brilliant turquoise color graced frescoes and written manuscripts alike. It was even used as ritual makeup! After the Spanish Conquest, the recipe to make this pigment was sadly lost to time. It wasn't until the 1950s that chemical analysis of this pigment revealed what it was made out of.
Maya blue was a combination of anil dyes (a type of indigo) with palygorskite (a type of natural clay). This analysis also revealed why this color is still so vibrant, even centuries after its initial use. The use of palygorskite makes it resistant to acids, alkalis, solvents, and even biodegradation.
✕ Remove Ads
Finally, in 1993, the first actual recipe for Maya Blue was published for the first time in hundreds of years by the historian Constantino Reyes-Valerio.
Why was it mysterious?
The formula to make it was lost after the Spanish Conquest
How was it solved?
Chemical analysis revealed the components and then Constantino Reyes-Valerio published a full recipe in the 90s
Where do historians stand on this issue today?
Historians now know how Maya blue was made