Economy
The Mayans engaged in three man economic activities: agriculture, minor industry and trade. The upper and lower class worked together in a manner similar to the Medieval feudal system; the common class owed their goods and services to the nobility, and paid them in the form of salt, cloth and crops.
During the Pre-Classic period, the Mayans lived in small, relatively primitive villages and operated in a mostly agrarian economy. Much of the Maya’s prosperity was the result of their farming skills. They produced a wide variety of crops, ranging from cocoa and cotton to squash and sweet potatoes. The principle crop, however, was maize. In addition to their agricultural endeavours, Mayan farmers also raised livestock, such as turkeys and guinea pigs, and occasionally hunted. Initially lacking farming equipment and draft animals, Mayans utilized milpas (a slash and burn type of agriculture) to create new cornfields - after cutting as many trees as possible, the farmers burned the remaining foliage. This process of burning fertilized the land, releasing nutrients into the soil. The slash and burn system was not sustainable, and in the Classic Period, it was supplemented by intensive agricultural practices, including raised fields, irrigation systems, and crop rotation. The Mayans also “terraced” their hilly land to maximize maize production, levelling off strips of land, much like the Incas. Priests closely regulated all aspects of the agricultural process, and dictated the dates for specific agricultural activities.
During the Classic period, roads were built in the empire, facilitating transportation, communication and trade; trade also helped unite the Mayan people. The Mayans produced a surplus of food, enabling them to develop trade, which became an essential component of their economy. Trade routes developed across Mesoamerica, and because of their position between Mexico and Central American, the Mayan empire acted as an intermediary between the two regions. The Mayans employed a barter trade system, though cocoa beans were used as an informal currency throughout the empire. Slaves were used to carry goods over short distances, while longer distances were covered by canoes. Mayans utilized three important long distance routes: a southern route linking central Mexico to Central America, the central route connecting the Peten Area of Guatemala, and the northern route that traced the Yucatan coast.
The Mayans produced crafts for daily and ceremonial uses. For example, they sculpted pottery and wove baskets to carry domestic and trade goods. Artisans also fashioned jewellery out of jade, copper, gold and silver for both decorative and ceremonial purposes. As trade developed, so did specialized professions and craft guilds in the city states. Although it has not been proven, it is thought that this helped give rise to the Mayan merchant (middle) class.
The Post-Classic Period saw the growth of more cities based on agriculture, and trade continued to thrive. However, during the period of decline, from 1250 to 1546 CE, the economy began to deteriorate as a result of numerous wars. The new diseases brought into the empire by the Europeans decimated the Mayan population, damaging the empire’s economy beyond repair.
Ancient Mayan Agriculture
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