Kin Tours

History

People first entered the Americas from Asia, crossing the Bering Strait approximately 20,000 years ago. These individuals travelled down through North America. In around 1500 BC, people settled in agriculturally-based villages in the highlands of Guatemala. These people were the Olmecs, who disappeared in 300 AD. Little is known about them, but they are known to have been skilled at stone carving. The Olmecs influenced many of the features of Mayan civilization, including their agricultural abilities, calendar, and form of hieroglyphic writing.

The Pre-Classic period of the Mayan civilization began in 600 BCE. Over the next 900 years, the small villages developed into cities and ceremonial centres that, along with the surrounding land, made up independent city-states led by separate kings. In 500 BCE, settlements had been founded in the northern parts of Yucatán (present-day Mexico) and major city centres had been established in the central lowlands. The city-states depended on an agricultural and trade economy. The staple crop was corn, although other crops such as cocoa, cotton, and many different types of fruits and vegetables.

By 200 CE the cities had grown into urban centres with temples, palaces and courts, pyramids, and marketplace plazas. Between 300 and 900 CE, in what is known as the Classic Period, the Mayan empire developed into the most advanced civilization in the Americas. This period in Mayan history is known as the “Golden Age” because most of the artistic and cultural achievements of the Mayan empire were made during this time. Two of the most important cities of the Classic Period were Tikal and Palenque. Tikal was the largest Mayan city, and had over 3000 major structures. The population was between 50,000 and 100,000 people. Tikal was not just a bustling Mayan urban centre – the city also contains many of the tombs of the early kings and a temple where offerings and food would have been left for the dead.  Palenque was ruled by Lord Pacal, perhaps the most famous Mayan king, and later, by his son Chan-Bahlum. Lord Pacal’s rule marked a golden age for Palenque; art and architecture flourished, and many of the surviving buildings of Palenque were built during this time. After Chan-Bahlum succeeded his father, the young king constructed three pyramids in addition to the one built by his father. These pyramids marked the most sacred space in Palenque. The city became known as a city of sophistication; it was – and still is - famous for its beautiful stucco art.

The Classic Period declined between 800 to 925 CE. Ruling dynasties ended and there was a rapid deterioration of the artistic, religious and intellectual life. The once elaborate rituals of the Classic period now only held a shadow of their past splendour. No new construction projects were started, and many buildings were left unfinished as the cities were slowly abandoned and the jungle grew to swallow them. A possible cause of this decline was overpopulation; as the population swelled, it became increasingly difficult for the empire to produce enough food to support its subjects. This food shortage could have led to malnutrition, widespread hunger and starvation. These factors led to a decrease in the Mayan population; in the central area of the empire alone, the population shrunk to 450,000 from 3 million people.

Another possible cause for the deterioration of Classic Mayan society is the invasions from the north and west. The Mayan attitude towards war had shifted – it had become a popular method of gaining land and power, an offensive rather than defensive method. The aggression and animosity between city states weakened trade links between them.

Despite the collapse of the Classic Period in the southern and middle parts of the Mayan lands, in the Yucatan Peninsula, the Mayan culture continued to thrive. In the time from 925 to 1250, known as the Post-Classical period, art and culture flourished in the northern cities such as Uxmal, Chichen Itza and Tulum. Between 987 and 1194 CE, Chichen Itza was the one of the largest and most important cities in Yucatan. When the Toltec people arrived in the lands, they assimilated into Mayan society, contributing some of their own culture to that of the Mayans. These additions included the introduction of a new god – Kukulcan, The Feathered Serpent - who was worshipped by both the Maya and Toltec at Chichen Itza. The Toltec also influence Mayan architecture and the monuments of Chichen Itza.

In 1000 CE, an alliance was formed between the cities of Chichen Itza and its neighbouring cities, Uxmal and Mayapan. Mayapan betrayed this alliance in 1149 CE by capturing and holding members of the other cities’ nobility prisoner. Mayapan defeated Chichen Itza between 1224 and 1244 CE, leaving Mayapan to dominate the Yucatan Peninsula unchallenged. The city state continued to control the area until 1441 CE, when it was sacked and burned by an unknown tribe.

Mayan civilization declined between 1250 and 1500 CE. The cultural role of religion lessened, as did the daily role of priests. The religious buildings constructed at that time were small and poorly built.

The end of the Mayan civilization came with the arrival of the Spanish in the sixteenth century. Hernando Cortez, the first of the Spanish conquistadors, landed on the island of Cozumel, off the Yucatan Coast. The Spanish soldiers quickly defeated the Mesoamerican people in the regions that are now Guatemala and Honduras, strategically using the rivalries between the city states to their advantage. The Spanish conquest of the Yucatan was long and difficult, despite the advantage their horses and advanced weaponry gave them; they were faced with an unfamiliar land and were fighting a bellicose people. Their colonial efforts were aided by the European diseases they brought to the Mesoamerican people (albeit unintentionally). As the Mayans had no immunity to them, diseases such as smallpox, measles and influenza decimated their population – between 75 and 90% of the Mayans were killed. Although the Spanish were supposed to treat the Mayans humanely, the conquistadors used cruel methods to impose European culture and values upon the Mesoamericans; they tortured and killed countless Mayans in an attempt to convert the people to Christianity, and forced many into slavery. By 1524, the Spanish were in complete control of the Yucatan region, having subjugated the Mayan people.

Despite Spanish cruelty, the Mayan people did not disappear entirely; approximately 2 million descendents of the Mayans still live in parts of Mexico, Guatamala, Honduras, El Salvador and Belize today. These modern-day Mayans live a life similar to those lived by their ancestors – they grow corn as their staple crop, and live in village compounds. Many are even adherents to the ancient Mayan religion.