Mayan Civilization essays

Mayan Civilization essays The ruins and artifacts of the ancient Mayan civilization are both remarkable and mysterious. The specialized mainly in architecture, it was their way of expressing themselves artistically. They built many great, enormous temples and extravagant buildings. The built their structures in an effort to copy the altitude of the highlands that surrounded them. Limestone structures faced with lime stucco are one of the famous styles of the Mayans because of the abundance of limestone and flint. It is also evident that all structures built were in honor of their gods. Plus, everything they ever built was done without the use of any kind of metal tools. Mayan art was exceptional compared to other ancient civilizations. Like most art, it reflected their culture and lifestyle. The art of the Maya has been called some of the richest of the New World because of the great complexity of patterns and the variety of media expressions. The Maya are also one of the few civilizations where the artists attached their name to their work. They also painted many great murals depicting great gods and other mythological features. Mayans used much of their artistic ability to write thousands of hieroglyphics. One of their greatest examples is the stairway at Copan. It is covered with a complex mixture of statues, figures, and ramps in addition to the central stairway that symbolizes Mayan society. The Mayans are considered peaceful compared to civilizations such as the Aztecs who were bloodthirsty and made tons of human sacrifices. Human sacrifices were not as important to the Mayans as they were to the Aztecs but blood sacrifice still played a major role. They offered up their blood but it usually did not mean their lives. They did this using many different sharp instruments and self-mutilation. The kings blood was considered the most sacred and was shed more often than others. The Mayans were also very warlike a...