How old is the Mayan civilization? Secrets of the history of the Mayans - the ancient civilization of Mexico

The history of the Mayan civilization remains shrouded in mystery. But science has managed to find out that many of the secrets are nothing more than a myth. Representative of the international publishing house National Geografic Michael Shapiro destroyed the legends.

1. The Mayan civilization suddenly disappeared

Just as the fall of the Roman Empire did not mean the end of the existence of Roman citizens, so did the disappearance of the Mayan state, which reached the epoch of its development in the 9th century. BC does not mean that the indigenous population disappeared without a trace.

Today, approximately 40% of Guatemala's inhabitants, some 14 million people living in southern Mexico and the Yucatan Peninsula, are descendants of the Mayan peoples.

The Mayans persevered through five centuries of Spanish occupation, maintaining their cultural traditions, ancestral agrarian way of life and festival customs.

More than 20 provinces of Guatemala are inhabited by individual Mayan peoples. Each of them has its own culture, clothing and language. So for thousands of years the Mayans lived outside their empire.

2. The Mayans didn’t believe in the end of the world

In films about the apocalypse we are told what the Mayans prophesied. This moment occurred in the year 5000 according to the Mayan calendar. But this is not true.

Representatives ancient civilization We celebrated the beginning of the next cycle, which will begin in 5125, just as we celebrated the advent of the new millennium. No records have been found that indicate the end of times. In any case, they hoped that with the new era, humanity would enter an era of higher consciousness, strengthening of peace and deep understanding of other peoples inhabiting the earth.

3. The ancient Mayans came up with the concept of zero.

The Mayan calendar is based on the value zero. However, the idea of ​​zero is probably not a secret of the Mayan civilization. It originated in. And only in the 4th century. BC. this invention became associated with the Mayan peoples.

Zero in the writing of civilization was represented by a symbol similar to a shell. The Mayan numerical system was based on 20 factors. Their numbers consisted of whole units: 1, 20, 400, etc. To write, for example, the number 403, they used one 400, plus zero ones 20, and three ones 1. This is how the concept of zero arose.

4. The Mayan city remained underground

Major sites built by the Maya peoples, like Palenque in southern Mexico and in the north, were found during archaeological excavations. Others remain buried underground. In Guatemala, mounds have been found that may contain great temples.

The least visited attractions are at El Mirador and Auxactun, north of Tikal in the Guatemalan jungle. In Belize, there are the open ruins of Altun Ha, 30 km from Belize City.

In all these places you can see pyramids.

5. The Mayans invented saunas

This is truly the secret of the Mayan civilization, the existence of which is difficult to argue. The ancient Mayans used a stone sauna known as a temazcal in the Yucatan Peninsula. Mayan saunas, "sweathouses", are still a popular holiday destination for tourists. They are offered to guests of hotels and resorts around the world.

The ancient cities of the Mayans were built from mud bricks - mud. They were used for spiritual satisfaction and health. Steam was made by mixing water with fire. Sometimes leaves were added to the water. Sweat cleansed my skin and my mind.

6. The Mayan Empire was destroyed by a volcano

A number of volcanoes in Guatemala remain active. In the city of Antigua Guatemala, you can see the eruption of the Fuego volcano, throwing down columns of smoke and dropping fiery lava. The spectacle is especially magnificent at night. Not far from Antigua, about 1.5 hours away, is the Rasahua volcano, which has been erupting regularly for several years.

Antigua sells day tours to walk a few meters from the lava.

7. The Mayans crossed white-water rivers in boats

The mystery of the Mayan civilization about the construction of reliable rafts has long been solved. Guatemala offers world-class Rio Cahabon boating. During the trip, you can get a lot of impressions and get acquainted with the area where the ancient Mayans lived - the jungle on the river bank.

The Usumacinta River straddles the borders of Mexico and Guatemala. While walking along the river, the group stops to explore the ruins of Piedras Negras.

8. Sports were popular in the Mayan civilization.

Ball courts were found in cities. Competitions were held among teams. The soccer ball was made of hard rubber. Some scientists believe that a human skull was placed inside the ball.

Cultural and entertainment events were ending human sacrifices. This was probably the fate that awaited the losers. Guides to Tikal claim that the winner was sacrificed.

“It was considered an honor to die in Tikal,” say local guides.

9. Mayan pyramids were built with astronomical events in mind

It's no secret that the Mayans were versed in astronomy. Many structures such as El Castillo (Temple of Kukulcan) and the pyramids at Chichen Itza reflect astronomical events.

This secret of the Mayan civilization connects the history of the people with the neighboring state - ancient Egypt. , along the northern edge of Kukulkan there passes a shadow similar to a snake. This phenomenon is caused by the passage of a ray of sun through the nine terraces of the building.

The El Caracol Temple at Chichen Itza is known as an observatory associated with the orbit of Venus. The main staircase is directed towards the northern part of Venus, and the corners of the building correspond to the position of the sun on the summer solstice at sunrise and the winter solstice at sunset.

10. No one knows what caused the decline of the Mayan civilization

From the end of the 8th to the beginning of the 9th century. BC. Mayan cities fell into disrepair. People died or went to other settlements. Culture, highly organized irrigation, agriculture, astronomy and construction technology were forgotten. Why, no one knows the answer.

Scientists have put forward several hypotheses regarding the death of ancient civilization:
Confrontation between Mayan city-states.
Overpopulation, which led to environmental degradation, soil depletion and climate change.
Strengthening the influence of the ruling class, the clergy and the ruling elite.

What actually caused the decline of developed civilization, archaeologists still find it difficult to say.

The Mayan peoples inhabited the territories:

• in the west - from the Mexican state of Tabasco,
• in the east - to the western outskirts of Honduras and El Salvador.

This area is divided into three areas clearly distinguishable by climatic and cultural-historical characteristics.

1. The northern one - the Yucatan Peninsula, formed by a limestone platform - is characterized by an arid climate, poor soil and the absence of rivers. The only sources fresh water-karst wells (cenotes).
2. The central area covers mexican states Tabasco, part of Chiapas, Campeche, Quintana Roo, as well as Belize and the Guatemalan department of Petén. This area is made up of lowlands, replete with natural reservoirs and crossed by the large rivers Usumacinta, Motagua and others. The territory is covered with tropical rainforests with a diverse fauna, a rich selection of edible fruits and plants. Here, as in the north, there are practically no mineral resources.
3. TO Southern region relate mountain ranges up to 4000 m high in the state of Chiapas and the Guatemalan highlands. The territory is covered with coniferous forests and has a temperate climate. Various minerals are found here - jadeite, jade, obsidian, pyrite, cinnabar, which were valued by the Mayans and served as trade items.

The climate of all regions is characterized by alternating dry and rainy seasons, requiring precision in determining the time of sowing, which is impossible without the development of astronomical knowledge and the calendar. The fauna is represented by ungulates (peccaries, tapirs, deer), feline predators, varieties of raccoons, hares and reptiles.

History of the Mayan civilization

Periodization of Mayan history

• …-1500 BC - Archaic period
• 1500-800 BC. - Early formative
• 800-300 BC. - Medium formative
• 300 BC - 150 AD - Late formative
• 150-300 - Protoclassical
• 300-600 - Early Classic
• 600-900 - Late Classical
• 900-1200 - Early Postclassic
• 1200-1530 - Late Postclassic

The problem of settling the Maya region is still far from a final solution. Some evidence suggests that the Proto-Maya came from the north, moving along the coast Gulf of Mexico, displacing the local population or mixing with it. Between 2000-1500 BC. began to settle throughout the zone, breaking up into different language groups.

In the VI-IV centuries. BC. In the Central region, the first urban centers appear (Nakbe, El Mirador, Tikal, Vashaktun), distinguished by the monumentality of their buildings. During this period, the urban layout took on the appearance characteristic of Mayan cities - an articulation of independent, astronomically oriented acropolises adapted to the relief, representing a rectangular area surrounded by temple and palace buildings on platforms. Early Mayan cities formally continued to maintain a clan-fratric structure.

Classical period - I (III) -X centuries. n. BC - the time of the final formation and flowering of the Mayan culture. Throughout the Maya territory, urban centers with subordinate territories of the city-state appeared. As a rule, the cities in these territories were no further than 30 km from the center, which was apparently due to communication problems due to the lack of draft animals in the region. The population of the largest city-states (Tikal, Calakmul, Caracol) reached 50-70 thousand people. The rulers of large kingdoms bore the title of Ahav, and the centers subordinate to them were ruled by local rulers - Sahals. The latter were not appointed officials, but came from local ruling families. There was also a complex palace hierarchy: scribes, officials, masters of ceremonies, etc.

Despite the changing structure social relations, power in city-states was transferred according to a tribal scheme, which was expressed in the magnificent cult of deified royal ancestors, in addition, power could also belong to women. Since Mayan acropolises and cities were of a “genetic” nature and were associated only with specific representatives of one or another clan, this was the reason for the periodic abandonment of individual acropolises and the final “abandonment” of Mayan cities in the 10th century, when the invading invaders destroyed members of the elite related by blood relationship with ancestors buried within the acropolises (pyramids). Without such a connection, the acropolis lost its significance as a symbol of power.

Social structure

Evidence of a tendency towards centralization of power in the 3rd-10th centuries. - usurpation by the rulers of the capital centers of the ritual ball game, the emergence of which dates back to the times of intra-tribal rotation of power and collective decision-making. The aristocracy concentrates in its hands the trade in valuable items, cocoa beans and minerals used for making jewelry and handicrafts - obsidian, jadeite, etc. Trade routes they ran both on land and along rivers and seas, going far into foreign territories.

Hieroglyphic texts mention priests divided into

• priest-ideologists,
• priest-astronomers,
• "seeing" and
• soothsayers.

Psychedelic practices were used for divination.

Detail of a sacred fresco from San Bartolo (Guatemala). OK. 150 BC The painting depicts the birth of the cosmos and proves the divine right of the ruler.

The basis of the society was made up of free community members who settled in family households, sometimes near cities, and sometimes at a considerable distance from them, which is due to the nature of land use and the need to change (due to a decrease in yield) the sown plots cultivated by the family every 4 years.

In their free time from sowing and harvesting, community members participated in community service and military companies. Only in the postclassical period did a special layer of semi-professional Kholkan warriors begin to emerge, who demanded “services and offerings” from the community.

Mayan texts often mention military leaders. Wars were in the nature of short-term raids to ruin the enemy and sometimes capture prisoners. Wars in the region were constant and contributed to the restructuring of political power, strengthening some cities while weakening and subjugating others. There is no data on slavery among the Classic Mayans. If slaves were used, it was as domestic servants.

Information about legal system Mayans are missing.

Crisis of the 10th century - political and cultural restructuring

By the 10th century Active migrations begin in the Central region, while the population decreases sharply, by 3-6 times. City centers are falling into disrepair political life freezes. There is almost no construction going on. The guidelines in ideology and art are changing - the cult of the royal ancestors is losing its primary importance, while the justification for the power of the ruler is the origin of the legendary “Toltec conquerors”.

In Yucatan the crisis of the end classical period did not lead to population decline and the fall of cities. In a number of cases, hegemony moves from old, classical centers to new ones. The processes of social and political change after the destruction of the traditional Mayan system of urban government by the Toltecs are observed in the postclassic period in the example of such cities as

• Chichen Itza of the Toltecs in the X-XIII centuries;
• Mayapan during the reign of the Cocoms in the 13th-15th centuries;
• postclassical Mani, under whose command in the 16th century. there were 17 towns and villages.

By the time the Spaniards appeared in the southeast of Yucatan, the state of Acalan (Maya-Chontal) had formed, where the capital city of Itzamkanak had already emerged with 76 subordinate cities and villages. It contains an administration, temples, 100 houses made of stone, 4 quarters with their patrons and their temples, a council of quarter heads.

Confederations of cities with their own capital became a new type of political-territorial entities that controlled the political, administrative, religious and scientific spheres of life. In the spiritual sphere, the concept of reincarnation goes into the realm of religious abstraction, which allows cities (emerging capitals) to retain their functions even after a change of power. Internecine wars become the norm, the city acquires defensive characteristics. At the same time, the territory is growing and the control and protection system is becoming more complex.

The Yucatan Mayans had slavery and trade in slaves was developed. Slaves were used to carry heavy loads and homework, but more often acquired for sacrifice.

In mountainous Guatemala, with the onset of the Postclassic period, the “Maya-Toltec style” spread. Obviously, the infiltrated nahuacultural groups were, as in Yucatan, assimilated by the local population. As a result, a confederation of 4 Mayan tribes was formed - Kaqchiquel, Quiche, Tzutihil and Rabinal, which subjugated in the XIII-XIV centuries. various Mayan and Nahua-speaking tribes of highland Guatemala. As a result of civil strife, the confederation soon disintegrated, almost simultaneously with the invasion of the Aztecs and the appearance at the beginning of the 16th century. Spaniards.

Economic activity

The Mayans practiced extensive slash-and-burn agriculture with regular rotation of plots. Main crop There were maize and beans, which formed the basis of the diet. Of particular value were cocoa beans, which were also used as a unit of exchange. They grew cotton. The Mayans had no domestic animals, with the exception of a special breed of dogs, which were sometimes used as food, poultry - turkeys. The function of the cat was performed by the nose, a type of raccoon.

In the classical period, the Mayans actively used irrigation and other methods of intensive agriculture, in particular “raised fields” similar to the famous Aztec chinampas: artificial embankments were created in river valleys, which rose above the water during floods and retained silt, which significantly increased fertility. To increase productivity, the plot was simultaneously sown with maize and legumes, which created the effect of fertilizing the soil. Fruit trees and chile peppers, which are an important component Indian diet.

Land ownership continued to remain communal. The institution of the dependent population was underdeveloped. The main area of ​​its application could be plantations of perennial crops - cocoa, fruit trees, which were privately owned.

Mayan civilization culture

Scientific knowledge and writing

The Mayans developed a complex picture of the world, which was based on ideas about reincarnation and the endless alternation of cycles of the universe. For their constructions, they used precise mathematical and astronomical knowledge, combining the cycles of the Moon, Sun, planets and the time of the precessional revolution of the Earth.

The complication of the scientific picture of the world required the development of a writing system based on the Olmec. The Mayan writing was phonetic, morphemic-syllabic, involving the simultaneous use of about 400 characters. One of the earliest inscriptions is from 292 AD. BC - discovered on a stela from Tikal (No. 29). The bulk of the texts were applied to monumental monuments or objects small plastic surgery. A special source is represented by texts on ceramic vessels.

Mayan books

Only 4 Mayan manuscripts have survived - “codes”, representing long strips of paper folded like an accordion (pages) from ficus bark (“Indian paper”), dating back to the Postclassic period, obviously copied from more ancient samples. Regular copying of books was probably practiced in the region from ancient times and was associated with the difficulties of storing manuscripts in a humid, hot climate.

The Dresden manuscript is a strip of “Indian paper” 3.5 m long, 20.5 cm high, folded into 39 pages. It was created earlier than the 13th century. in Yucatan, from where it was taken to Spain as a gift to Emperor Charles V, from whom it came to Vienna, where in 1739 the librarian Johann Christian Götze acquired it from an unknown private person for the Dresden Royal Library.

The Parisian manuscript is a strip of paper with a total length of 1.45 m and 12 cm in height, folded into 11 pages, from which the initial pages have been completely erased. The manuscript dates back to the period of the Cocom dynasty in Yucatan (XIII-XV centuries). In 1832 it was acquired by the Parisian National Library(kept here to this day).

The Madrid manuscript was written no earlier than the 15th century. It consists of two fragments without beginning and end of “Indian paper”, 13 cm high, with a total length of 7.15 m, folded into 56 pages. The first part was acquired in Extremadura by José Ignacio Miró in 1875. Since it was suggested that it once belonged to the conqueror of Mexico, Cortez, hence its name - “Code of Cortez”, or Cortesian. The second fragment was acquired by Brasseur de Bourbourg from Don Juan Tro y Ortolano in 1869 and was called Ortolan. The pieces joined together became known as the Madrid Manuscript, and it has since been kept in Madrid in the Museum of the Americas.

Grolier's manuscript was in a private collection in New York. These are rather fragments of 11 pages without beginning or end, dating back to the 13th century. Apparently this Mayan manuscript, the origin of which is unknown, was composed under strong Mixtec influence. This is evidenced by the specific recording of numbers and features of the images.

Texts on Mayan ceramic vessels are called “clay books.” The texts reflect almost all aspects of the life of ancient society, from everyday life to complex religious ideas.

The Mayan script was deciphered in the 50s of the 20th century. Yu.V. Knorozov based on the method of positional statistics he developed.

Architecture

Mayan architecture reached its peak in the classical period: ceremonial complexes, conventionally called acropolises, with pyramids, palace buildings and ball stadiums were actively erected. The buildings were grouped around a central rectangular area. The buildings were erected on massive platforms. During construction, a “false vault” was used - the space between the roof masonry gradually narrowed upward until the walls of the vault closed. The roof was often crowned with massive ridges decorated with stucco. Construction techniques could vary from stone masonry to concrete-like masses and even bricks. The buildings were painted, often red.

There are two main types of buildings - palaces and temples on pyramids. Palaces were long, usually one-story buildings, standing on platforms, sometimes multi-tiered. At the same time, the passage through the enfilades of rooms resembled a labyrinth. There were no windows and light came in only through doorways and special ventilation holes. Perhaps the palace buildings were identified with long cave passages. Almost the only example of buildings with several floors is the palace complex in Palenque, where a tower was also erected.

The temples were built on pyramids, the height of which sometimes reached 50-60 m. Multi-stage staircases led to the temple. The pyramid embodied the mountain in which the legendary cave of our ancestors was located. Therefore, an elite burial could occur here - sometimes under the pyramid, sometimes in its thickness, and more often immediately under the floor of the temple. In some cases, the pyramid was built directly over a natural cave. The structure on top of the pyramid, conventionally called a temple, did not have the aesthetics of an internal very limited space. The doorway and the bench placed against the wall opposite this opening had functional significance. The temple served only to mark the exit from the cave of the ancestors, as evidenced by its external decoration and sometimes its connection with the intra-pyramidal burial chambers.

Appears in the Postclassic new type areas and buildings. The ensemble is formed around the pyramid. Covered galleries with columns are being built on the sides of the square. In the center there is a small ceremonial platform. Platforms for risers appear with poles studded with skulls. The structures themselves are significantly reduced in size, sometimes not corresponding to human growth.

Sculpture

The friezes of buildings and massive roof ridges were covered with stucco made of lime mortar - a piece. The lintels of temples and the steles and altars erected at the foot of the pyramids were covered with carvings and inscriptions. In most areas they were limited to relief techniques; only in Copan did round sculpture become widespread. Palace and battle scenes, rituals, faces of deities, etc. were depicted. Like buildings, inscriptions and monuments were usually painted.

TO monumental sculpture Mayan steles are also included - flat, about 2 m high monoliths, covered with carvings or paintings. The highest steles reach 10 m. Steles are usually associated with altars - round or rectangular stones installed in front of the steles. Steles with altars were an improvement on Olmec monuments and served to convey the three-level space of the universe: the altar symbolized the lower level - the transition between worlds, average level was occupied by the image of events occurring with a specific character, and the upper level symbolized the rebirth of a new life. In the absence of an altar, the subject depicted on it was compensated by the appearance on the stele of a lower, “cave” level, or a relief niche, inside which the main image was placed. In some cities, roughly rounded flat altars placed on the ground in front of the stele, or stone figured images of reptiles, as for example in Copan, became widespread.

The texts on the steles could be dedicated to historical events, but most often they were of a calendar nature, marking the periods of the reign of one or another ruler.

Painting

Works of monumental painting were created on the interior walls of buildings and burial chambers. The paint was applied either over wet plaster (fresco) or over dry ground. The main theme of the paintings is crowd scenes battles, festivals, etc. The most famous are the paintings of Bonampak - buildings of three rooms, the walls and ceilings of which are entirely covered with paintings, dedicated to victory in military operations. Mayan fine art includes polychrome painting on ceramics, which is distinguished by its great variety of subjects, as well as drawings in “codes.”

Dramatic art

The dramatic art of the Maya came directly from religious ceremonies. The only work that has come down to us is the drama of Rabinal-Achi, recorded in the 19th century. The plot is based on the capture of a Quiché warrior by warriors of the Rabinal community. The action develops in the form of a kind of dialogue between the prisoner and the other main characters. Basic poetic device-rhythmic repetition, traditional for oral Indian folklore: the participant in the dialogue repeats the phrase spoken by his opponent, and then pronounces his own. Historical events - the wars of Rabinal with the Quiché - are superimposed on mythological basis- a legend about the abduction of the water goddess, the wife of the old rain god. The drama ended with the real sacrifice of the main character. Information has been received about the existence of others dramatic works, as well as comedies.

The Mayan civilization is unique. Their writing, calendar system, and knowledge of astronomy amaze even modern cosmology specialists. The Mayan Indians are one of the most ancient and mysterious civilizations that ever existed on Earth.

Birth of the Mayan civilization

Scientists have determined where the Indians lived. According to theory, after the end of the last ice age, the tribes who lived in the north went south to develop new lands. Today it is the territory of Latin America.

Then, over the next 6 thousand years, the Indians created their own culture - they built cities and farmed.

By 1500 BC, the Mayans lived in the Yucatan Peninsula, the territory of modern Guatemala, the southern states of Mexico and western parts El Salvador and Honduras.

Mayan Indians: history of the development of civilization

The first major centers were the cities of El Mirador, Nakbe and Tikal. The construction of temples flourished, calendars were widely used, and hieroglyphic writing developed.

The photo below shows the ancient Mayan cultural center in ancient city Tikal.

The Indians created their own system, including architecture with unique buildings - pyramids, monuments, palaces, politics and social hierarchy. Society was divided into the masses and the elite, consisting of rulers.

The Mayans believed that their rulers were descended from the gods. The status was emphasized by robes with a mandatory attribute - a breast mirror. “Mirror of the people” - this is what the Mayans called their supreme ruler.

Mayan ruling class

The ancient Mayan civilization numbered more than 20 million people.

A whole system of 200 cities was created, 20 of them were megacities with a population of more than 50 thousand people.

Economic development of the Mayans

Initially, the Mayans were engaged in slash-and-burn agriculture - they cut down the forest on the site that they planned to cultivate, then burned the trees and shrubs, and fertilized the soil with ash. Since the land in the tropics is infertile, its resources were quickly depleted, and the fields ceased to be cultivated. They words were overgrown with forest. Then the whole process began again.

But as the population increased, new methods were required, and the Indians began to use hillsides for terrace farming. Swamps were also developed - raised fields were built on them by building beds a meter high above the water level.

They installed irrigation systems, and water flowed into reservoirs through a network of canals.

They traveled on the water in canoes made of red wood. They could accommodate up to 50 people at the same time. They traded fish, shells, shark teeth and other seafood. Salt was like money.

Salt production

Obsidian imported from Mexico and Guatemala was used to make weapons.

Jade was a ritual stone, it was always in value.

Jade products

Those who lived on the plain traded food supplies, cotton, jaguar skins and quetzal feathers.

Art and architecture

During the "classical" early and late periods(250 - 600 AD and 600 - 900 AD) a huge number of temples were built, wall paintings depicting rulers appeared. Art is flourishing.

Below is a photo of Barel'ev with the image of the ruler.

Copan and Palenque become new cultural centers.

Migration

Beginning in 900 AD, the southern plains gradually emptied, leaving settlements in the northern part of Yucatan. Until 1000 AD, the influence of Mexican culture grew, and the cities of Labna, Uxmal, Kabah and ChiChen Itza flourished.

Below is a photo of the pyramid in the city of ChiChen Itza

After the mysterious collapse of Chichen Itza, Mayapan becomes the main Mayan city.

Why did the Mayan civilization disappear?

No one knows for sure the reason for the disappearance of the Indian people. There are only hypotheses on this matter. According to the main one, in 1441 there was an uprising of the leaders who lived in the cities neighboring Mayapan. This caused the degeneration of civilization and its transformation into scattered tribes. Drought and famine also had an impact. Then the conquistadors appeared.

Below in the photo is the last center of civilization.

In 1517, Spanish ships landed on an unknown shore. In the battle with the Indians, the conquistadors saw gold. This began the extermination of the Mayan people, since the Spaniards believed that gold should belong to their rulers. In 1547, the Mayans were conquered, but some of the tribes managed to escape and hide in the center of the Yucatan Peninsula, where they lived for 150 years.

The diseases that the Spaniards brought with them caused outbreaks of epidemics. The Indians had no immunity to influenza, measles and smallpox, and they died by the millions.

The culture and religion of the Indians was exterminated in every possible way: temples were destroyed, shrines were destroyed, idolatry was punished by torture.

In the 100 years since the arrival in Latin America The Mayan civilization was completely eradicated by Europeans.

Watch the BBC documentary below about mysterious civilization Mayan

We are talking about civilization in the wilds of the tropical forest. The ruins of a mysterious civilization that existed for more than a thousand years.

Ancient Mayans. They built majestic pyramids, luxurious palaces and spacious squares. In the jungle they were masters.

They effectively used energy sources and created amazing engineering structures and works of art for one and a half thousand years.

But suddenly ancient civilization with centuries-old history disappeared: noisy cities deserted, and the jungle closed over them.

Mayan code

Tikal was one of the few cities that gained strength in the Preclassic period, and successfully existed until the end of the Classic period. The history of this city was uninterrupted.

But in the 6th century, Tikal had a rival: the star of a city called.

The Mayans had two cities with strong rulers: Calakmul and Tikal. Between them there were conflicts. As a rule, their initiator was Calakmul: he constantly entered into alliances with Tikal's neighbors against a common enemy.

Ikin-Chan-Kawil and the Temple of the Great Jaguar

Calakmul became a powerful state thanks to its decisive and far-sighted ruler. His name was Ikin-Chan-Kawil.

He built one of the most famous Mayan structures, this pyramid has survived centuries: .

Construction required enormous effort. The pyramid was not only a temple, but also symbol of the power and authority of the ruler: it was assumed that, having become convinced of the power of the ruler, people would go over to his side.

Building in the rainforest is still difficult today, but they built the pyramids with Stone Age tools. Most of the technologies that we use in the construction of large structures were unknown to the Mayans: they there were no draft animals, there were no metal tools.

The Mayans had only virtually inexhaustible supplies of limestone and labor. Every subject of the state was obliged to work annually for the ruler certain time.

From the quarries to the construction site the stone had to be dragged or carry it on your back. For this they had baskets with a strap, or, as it is also called - headband. In this way it was possible to carry tens of kilograms of stones.

Step by step the pyramid grew higher. Wooden “scaffolding” was erected and rearranged as needed. The blocks were hewn with stone chisels and wooden mallets.

The inner surface of the walls was left untreated, but the outside was polished: they were coated with a solution - the so-called "Mayan plaster", and painted red.

They knew about the wheel, about metal, but in practice they did not use either one or the other. Apparently, they believed that the more labor expended, the greater the value of the structure.

The façade of the Temple of the Great Jaguar faces west, towards the setting sun. Temple on main square Tikal was a symbol of the power of the ruler who paid the debt of the people to the gods.

Ikin-Chan-Kawil built it in honor of the victory over the main rival, Calakmulem, in 736. Then in 743-744 he defeated Calakmul's allies who threatened Tikal to the west and east. The noose that was squeezing Tikal’s “throat” was torn.

In honor of this victory, he rebuilds and expands the palace and erects new pyramids. Tikal in its current form is mainly the fruits of that victory.

Most likely, it was he who started construction Tikal's tallest structure – Temple IV. A pyramid with a volume of 200 thousand cubic meters of stone and a height of 65 meters with a 22-story building. From its top, overlooking the rainforest, there was a magnificent view of the city.

In other Mayan cities, tall structures were also built, but during the reign of Ikin-Chan-Kawil Tikal was the most powerful city Mayan civilization. But not the only one.

Mysterious ruler

400 kilometers to the west, another dynasty was building its acropolis. In the 7th century, an extraordinary ruler appeared there. He turned one of the wettest cities in the world into a “Mecca” of New World architecture.

He enters the sanctuary, looks around and sees in the floor holes with stone plugs. He suggests that ropes were threaded through these holes to lift a massive slab like the current drop doors. He moves the slab and walks down the stairs, which are clogged with dirt and rubble.

No one has ever seen such Mayan pyramids before, and he begins to dig. He walks along the wet steps, reaches the landing and sees that the stairs turn. He continues to dig and finds secret doors and false passages- a clear sign that the construction plan was carefully thought out.

Finally, after 3 long years, he reaches the base of the 25-meter staircase. In front of it is a small passage and a stone sarcophagus with 6 skeletons - the remains of those who were sacrificed so that they would guard the one who built this temple. But he doesn’t know the name of this person yet.

And finally, he sees a door in front of him - a huge triangular stone. Together with his assistants, he opens the door and goes inside.

There is crypt measuring 9 meters in length and 7 in height. And in it - massive sarcophagus made of a single piece of limestone with a carved lid depicting the ruler.

Its edge is painted with cinnabar - a red paint and smeared with poison against possible robbers. If the Egyptians had used this method, perhaps more ancient treasures would have reached us.

Here we see shield image, the same shield is depicted in the sanctuary. In the language of the ancient Mayans, the shield sounds like “pacal”. Alberto Ruz opened the tomb of the outstanding Mayan ruler - Pakala Great.

Pacal the Great

The discovery of the Temple of the Inscriptions changed our understanding of the Mayan pyramids: they were not just tombs.

In addition to the stairs, the builders led to the tomb well in the form thin wall pipe. Through this pipe, any word spoken at the top of the pyramid could be heard in the crypt. Thus, it was possible to directly communicate with Pakal, who was lying in the tomb.

The 20-ton sarcophagus was supposed to survive eternity. To put the body inside, you had to move the lid to the side. After Pakal's death, the lid was put in place, the entrance was walled up and the stairs were filled up.

The stone cutters depicted on the lid a symbolic picture of the revival of Pakal in the afterlife. And also a kind of table in which 640 hieroglyphs were placed with a narration of the history of Pakal's reign.

In most Mayan pyramids there are practically no texts; with the Temple of the Inscriptions the situation is the opposite: literally every stone, both outside and inside, reminds us that here is the resting place of the founder of one of the greatest Mayan dynasties.

In 683 in the 68th year of his reign at the age of 80 the great Mayan ruler Pacal died. The body was painted with cinnabar and strewn with jewelry. The faces were covered with a jade mask.

Kan Balam

Pacal was a great ruler, but his son waited patiently for his turn - almost 50 years.

We had to do something great. The laws of physics and Mother Nature came to the rescue.

684 The great ruler Pacal turned Palenque into a city such as the Mayan culture had never known. After 68 years in power, he was buried in a tomb rivaling those of the Egyptian pharaohs. It was up to his son to continue the work started by his father. His name was Kan Balam.

Pacal founded the dynasty, but strengthened the state and thereby created the conditions for its continuation by his son.

48-year-old ruler began construction of three temples at once. This complex immortalized his name.

He built "Group of the Cross"- one of the most complex and elegant temple complexes in Mayan history. His creation towered over his father's palace. It is believed that this complex reflects the character of its creator: he wanted to leave a memory of himself, just as his father wanted.

He ordered the construction of three structures: Temple of the Cross, Temple of the Foliated Cross and Temple of the Sun.

Mayan number system

In this era, architecture reached a qualitatively new level. Mayan number system allowed for complex calculations not available to other cultures.

The Mayans were ahead of the rest of humanity, by entering a symbol to represent zero. A set of three symbols: shells for zero, dots for ones, and lines for fives in various combinations allowed operations with huge numbers.

The Greeks and Romans were outstanding engineers, but their mathematical system was limited because it did not have a zero. Oddly enough, the great builders and philosophers, compared to the Mayans, were worthless mathematicians.

It is possible that the architects of Kan-Balan were able to extract square root and knew about the golden ratio, the proportions inherent in inanimate nature, animals and even humans are 1 to 1.618.

The ratio of the distance from the crown to the navel and from the navel to the soles corresponds almost exactly.

Scientists find this proportion in structures erected thousands of years ago: in Egyptian pyramids, in Greek. I studied it: there is an opinion that golden ratio present in the features.

It is possible that with the help of sticks and rope alone, the engineers of Kan-Balam were able to extract. In the Temple of the Cross, the pylons at the entrance, the gates themselves, and the walls of the interior are close to this proportion. The dimensions of the side walls and facades when viewed from above are related as 1 to 1.618.

The alternation of squares and rectangles creates an amazing geometric picture on the floor of the Temple of the Cross, full of mythological and historical symbolism.

Water supply Palenque

But not all buildings in Palenque were built with the afterlife in mind; the architects also thought about more practical things.

Between 800 and 1050, Chichen Itza becomes a large and powerful city. People flocked here from all over the country, and he took advantage of them.

Karakol – astronomical observatory

In the city, among other buildings, it stands out Karakol, astronomical observatory. Time and stars The Mayans were extremely interested; they looked in the sky for answers to their questions.

Most likely the Mayans used such a device as visor. Observing the passage of stars through the crosshairs of the viewfinder, they drew certain conclusions.

Despite their primitive tools, the Mayans accurately calculated the movements of the stars and planets and the passage of time.

Karakol does not fit into the general layout of the city, but a deviation of 27.5 degrees to the northwest corresponds northernmost position of Venus in the sky.

The building is focused on celestial bodies and phenomena, namely: movement of Venus and equinox.

Judging by the fact that the proportions and orientation of Karakol do not fit into the overall layout, we can judge roles of Venus in Mayan ideas.

Venus behaves differently from other celestial bodies; it moves across the sky in one direction and then in another. Apparently, Caracol indicated the days when Venus changes direction.

Knowing the patterns of movement celestial bodies, Maya created two interconnected calendars: ritual and solar These were the most accurate calendars of the ancient world.

The Mayan solar year consisted of 365 days. In addition, they determined the periods of revolution of Venus and lunar eclipses with no less accuracy.

New era of Mayan flourishing

It took the Mayans only 200 years to revive the civilization that had fallen into decline in the south. But, as it turned out, in the north he was waiting for them no less terrible enemy: He destroyed the Mayan culture, leaving the cities untouched.

In the 9th century AD For some unknown reason, the cities of the classical Mayan period become empty, and new era heyday.

With the revival of culture in the north, the Mayans were able to put their knowledge of astronomy into practice as never before. The Maya's reverence for celestial mechanics left its mark on the architecture of Chichen Itza.

The main structure of Chichen Itza was, or “Castle”, built in the 9th-10th centuries AD.

365 steps, according to the number of days of the year in the Mayan civil calendar. The 52 slabs symbolize the 52-year cycle, and the 9 steps symbolize the 18-month cycle of the solar calendar.

The temple is oriented so that twice a year the shadow of the Sun falls in a certain way. When looking at the balustrade and the northwest corner of El Castillo at sunset one could see amazing game shadows. The illuminated triangles of the pyramid's ledges ended at the foot with the stone head of a snake. A “snake” descended from heaven to earth, and this meant the onset of the rainy season.

The Mayans saw this as a manifestation of the will of the god, the "Feathered Serpent".

The Mayans knew how to determine the days when the length of day and night is the same. Every year on March 21, the descent of Kukulkan could be observed.

The layout of the city around El Castillo has acquired a new quality - space: temples, market, ball court, colonnades.

Most likely, the sides with colonnades served not only ritual purposes. Perhaps they were either specially invited here, or anyone could come here to watch processions of ambassadors and merchants from other cities arrive in the city.

These columns are similar to the Greek and Roman ones, but for the Mayans they were a completely new type of building structure, they allowed the roof to be flat. There is no need for stepped masonry, which did not give 100 percent confidence that the vault would not collapse.

The design of the columns is simple: cylindrical drums They were placed one on top of the other on a layer of gravel. A square slab was placed on top, and the roof was made of wood and covered with lime mortar.

Now what was happening inside the temples was accessible more people than in the era of the classical Mayan pyramids. Only a select few climbed those pyramids, the temples were placed on top, and from below it was not visible what was happening in them, but buildings with columns were more accessible.

Death of the Mayan civilization

However, this did not last long, the heyday of Chichen Itza lasted 200 years, and then it suffered the fate of its southern neighbors: it mysteriously depopulated.

When the Spaniards landed in Yucatan in 1517, all Mayan cities were abandoned and abandoned. The heirs of the collapsed civilization lived in scattered settlements, but courageously resisted .

It turned out to be difficult to conquer them: instead of taking the ruler prisoner, they had to capture villages one by one. When leaving, they left behind potential hotbeds of rebellion.

The Mayan warriors killed the conquistadors by the thousands, but their weapons were powerless against another enemy: illnesses. Over 100 years, 90% of the population of the New World died. The survivors faced persecution.

Came from Spain to convert the Mayans to Christianity, and in his zeal knew no mercy.

Landa was an idealist. He came to the New World to save souls, convert the natives true faith. But the Mayans were by no means going to give up their beliefs.

12 July 1562 Landa burned all the Mayan manuscripts, believing them to be devilish writings. The knowledge accumulated by the Mayans over a thousand years was destroyed; for history it was great tragedy.

By good fortune, four codexes escaped destruction in the flames and are not lost over time. In the 19th century, some of these manuscripts were rescued from the hands of the monks, and over time they became known to the general public.

Mayan archeology is just beginning

The ancient Mayans tried to find answers to questions by looking from the earth to the sky, and now we are looking for answers by looking from the sky to the earth.

Recently NASA and with the help modern technologies tried to find new, unknown Mayan cities. Hills covered with forest may well be the ruins of ancient cities abandoned hundreds of years ago. Perhaps the answer to the Mayan mysteries lies beneath our feet.

Mayan archeology is just beginning: an incredible number of cities, temples and other structures have not yet been explored. The “golden” age of Mayan archeology lies ahead: by the end of the century it will be one of the most studied civilizations of the Ancient World.

The Mayans were smart, inventive, but also prone to violence. Why is this highly developed and at the same time mysterious civilization so attractive to scientists generation after generation? The architecture of majestic palaces and temples? Intricate hieroglyphs? Or amazing knowledge of astronomy and mathematics with the concept of zero, unprecedented in antiquity? Or a people who managed to build not a village, not a small town, but magnificent cities in one of the most inhospitable corners of the planet?

Hidden until now in the tropical rainforests between and Yucatan hundreds of unknown Mayan cities. In Palenque alone, one and a half thousand structures have not yet been excavated. If you imagine what archaeological treasures await scientists in cities like Tikal and Palenque, it becomes clear that the jungle still holds many secrets of the mysterious Mayan civilization.

One of the most famous among ancient civilizations is the Mayan Empire. Until now, for scientists, the Mayan civilization is fraught with much unknown. Researchers are inclined to believe that the Mayan civilization originated in the 1st millennium BC. Their heritage is unusual writing and beautiful architectural structures, advanced mathematics, astronomy, art and, of course, the famous incredibly accurate calendar.

Ruins of Chichen Itza

Society

According to preliminary calculations, the Mayan population was more than 3 million people, who were settled in the tropical zone of modern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, the western regions of Honduras and El Salvador.

The cities of this ancient civilization were built from stones and limestone, and the population also engaged in agriculture. Today, the descendants of the Mayans are called Indians living in Central America and Mexico.

Main cities

Based on archaeological evidence, it can be argued that the Mayans sacrificed people. From the point of view of their worldview, sacrifice was an opportunity for the victim to get to heaven as a shortcut. Although now even the child knows that he cannot get to Heaven in this way, he must do good deeds and not kill.

Features of civilization

Mayan tribe and Interesting Facts, which make us think about the level of development of this people.

Baths. Archaeologists have found many stone structures designed for steaming. It is interesting that baths were not only for the nobility, but also for the people. Ancient baths worked on the same principle as modern ones: water was poured onto hot stones, and the Indians cleansed their bodies with steam.

Sailors. Found by scientists in the Mayan codex, it can be concluded that they swam on the sea; there is also an assumption that they came to America from Asia.

Medicine. The Mayan tribes had well-developed medicine, the most skilled doctors performed quite complex operations, their surgical instruments were made of glass of volcanic origin, and sutures were made from human hair. Dentistry has also achieved success; even ancient dentures and dental fillings have been preserved. Doctors used hallucinogens as anesthesia.

Roads. The tribe had an entire road system with a hard, even surface.

Palace in Palenque

Architecture. The Mayans built impressive structures and completely smooth roads without using metal tools.

Fashion. An elongated, oval head was in fashion, considered a sign of nobility. This head shape was achieved due to the fact that early childhood Wooden planks were tied to the child's head. This brutal operation was performed only on noble members of society. Another sign of beauty was squint, which was achieved by hanging a rubber ball above the baby's eye level. In addition, fashionistas preferred to grind their teeth so that they were sharp, and then coat them with resin until they turned black. However, only representatives of the nobility could afford to “decorate” themselves in this way.

Sport. Members of the Mayan tribe built special courts on which they played ball games. According to scientists, they had several such games, and they were quite tough and resembled modern football, rugby and basketball. How developed the sport was can be judged by the presence of a prototype sports uniform consisting of protective elements resembling a helmet, elbow pads and knee pads.

Writing sample

Writing. The Mayans are the only tribe in America that had their own written language. Writing was based on glyphs, presented in the form of drawing signs. Today, scientists are still struggling to read the texts; about 90% of the characters have already been deciphered.

Astronomy and calendar

Calendar. The tribe had its own very accurate calendar, not just one, but three:

• Haab consisting of 18 months, each of which had 20 days, the year was 360 days;
• Tzolkin consisting of 20 months, each of which had 13 days, the year was 260 days;
• a single calendar that included both calendars, along with data on the constellations and movements of the planets.

Observatories. The Mayans had extensive astronomical knowledge, as evidenced by the presence of observatories, one of which is the El Caracol structure in the city of Chichen Itza with a domed roof, 15 m high, a huge amount windows

Astronomical observatory in the city of El Caracol in the city of Chichen Itza

Disappearance

Despite the large number of unknown facts, the most mysterious question for historians remains: what led to the decline of a developed civilization in a prosperous empire? Moreover, the first signs of the collapse of civilization, according to researchers, began around the 9th century AD.

This decline was expressed in the fact that in the southern parts of the tribal settlement a rapid decline in population began to be observed, and water supply and irrigation systems began to deteriorate. The population began to leave the inhabited region en masse, urban development stopped, which led to the fact that the majestic, developed territory began to turn into disparate tribes fighting among themselves. Actually, this led to the fact that the conquerors who arrived in Yucatan, the Spaniards, were able to completely and very quickly take control of the entire region.

Location of the city of Tayasal, modern city Flores

Some tribes resisted for quite a long time - the last independent city of Tayasal (northern Guatemala) was captured by the Spaniards in 1697, although Cortez wanted to conquer it in 1541. Cortez, like other Spanish conquerors, could not capture this city, since it was located on an island and was an impregnable fortress. Having captured the city, the Spaniards built the city of Flores on the site of Tayasal, which hid the old Indian architecture under its buildings.