ARCH 112 Lecture Notes - Lecture 13: Maya Script, Feathered Serpent, Tikal Temple I
27 Jun 2018
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Mesoamerica - the region including central and southern Mexico, Guatemala,
Belize, El Salvador and the western parts of Honduras and Nicaragua. This
region shares many distinct cultural characteristics.
The Olmec
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(Readings Feder Chapter 9, pages 343 - 350 )
The Olmec are an early Mesoamerican civilization that occupied the
lowlands of the Gulf of Mexico coast .
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Earliest evidence of political complexity in Mesoamerica
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Date back to 3400 y.a.
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3 rivers that pass through this area--abundant water supply--rich in
resources
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Common art motifs--monumental art being constructed (never been
seen in the New World)
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Olmec Regal - Ritual (urban) centers include:
Smaller settlements
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San Lorenzo (Mexico) 3,150 – 2,900 ya
Population centers housed for nobility--rulers--for religion
and ritual
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Distinct art style--earliest for monumental art works
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Earthen mounds
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Man made ponds
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Trade
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La Venta (Mexico) 2 ,800 – 2,400 ya
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Images of Olmec sculptures (colossal heads) and La Venta figurines
demonstrate characteristic art style
Known for monumental Olmec Head (also known as Colossal
Head)--2-3 m tall weigh about 20 tons--source of stone (basalt) is
80-100 km away--may represent portraits of Olmec rulers (the head-
dresses are different--representing the Kings identity?)
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Olmec sculptures--carving what could be thrones--
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The Maya
The Maya are a Mesoamerican civilization centered in Guatemala,
Belize, Honduras and eastern Mexico, especially the Yucatán
Peninsula (peak of Mayan around 324000km2 in size)
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By 2,650 years ago social complexity is reflected by their ability to
produce monumental buildings
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Their culture dominated this region for 1,500 years****
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Flourishing in the early classic (AD 250 - AD 600) to the late classic
(AD 600 - AD 800) culture phase--around AD 250 to AD 800
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90% farming--more intensive agriculture practices
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Dependent on maize and beans
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Tikal – an important Mayan City that flourished AD 200 - 900
Image of Temple I - The Temple of the Great Jaguar which
commemorates the rule of Jasaw Chan Kawii
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Pyramids served as tombs for the Mayan rulers
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3000 structures at the core of Tikal--population as high as
6000 members
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At the top of pyramids they are temples
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Palenque – Maya capital AD 431 - 800
Image of Temple of the Inscriptions which is the funerary
monument of Pakal (Palenque greatest ruler--ruled for 68
years)--dates inscribed on the pyramids (know when temples
were occupied)
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The Ball Game – examples of Ritual Ball courts** (played for 3000
years)--known as a violent game--losers would be sacrificed--
illustrated in Mayan art
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Maya hieroglyphics - the Maya had a system of record keeping
Surviving Mayan codices(are screen fold books--made of bark
coded in plaster painted with images-folded like fans--only 4
codices survived--wrote about there culture and religion)--
Landa wanted the codices to be destroyed
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Drawing of the tablet of the 96 …
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Maya Calendar - The Maya calendar consists of twenty named
days organized into eighteen “months” with an additional “short
month” of five days to complete a 365 - day cycle of one solar year.
They had the number zero--unusual for this time period
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Maya day glyphs--the glyphs for each Maya "month"
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Temple of the Feathered Serpent, Chichen Itza--91 steps on each
side--at the top one more step-- on the temple--4 sided pyramid, so
equivalent to 365 steps
Believed to have a pyramid inside the pyramid--but recent imagining
found that there were two pyramids inside the greater pyramid
Temple of 1000 Warriors, Chichen Itza--toltec
The Observatory, Chichen Itza
Temple of the Magician, Uxmal--Mayan mythology because it was
built in one day by a magician
The Governors Palace--
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New World Civilizations: Mesoamerica (pg. 343-350,
424-457)
Friday, November 24, 2017
11:27 AM
Document Summary
Mesoamerica - the region including central and southern mexico, guatemala, Belize, el salvador and the western parts of honduras and nicaragua. The olmec (readings feder chapter 9, pages 343 - 350 ) The olmec are an early mesoamerican civilization that occupied the lowlands of the gulf of mexico coast . 3 rivers that pass through this area--abundant water supply--rich in resources. Common art motifs--monumental art being constructed (never been seen in the new world) Population centers housed for nobility--rulers--for religion and ritual. La venta (mexico) 2 ,800 2,400 ya. Images of olmec sculptures (colossal heads) and la venta figurines demonstrate characteristic art style. Known for monumental olmec head (also known as colossal. Head)--2-3 m tall weigh about 20 tons--source of stone (basalt) is. 80-100 km away--may represent portraits of olmec rulers (the head- dresses are different--representing the kings identity?) The maya are a mesoamerican civilization centered in guatemala, Belize, honduras and eastern mexico, especially the yucat n.
