1. The Mayans Enhanced
Their Children's Features
The Maya desired some unnatural physical characteristics
for their children. For instance, at a very young age boards were pressed on
babies’ foreheads to create a flattened surface. This process was widespread
among the upper class. Another practice was to cross babies’ eyes. To do this,
objects were dangled in front of a newborn’s eyes, until the newborn’s eyes
were completely and permanently crossed. The Maya filed their teeth to make
them pointy and created holes that they filled with jade. Another interesting
fact about Mayan children is that most were named according to the day they
were born. Every day of the year had a specific name for both boys and girls
and parents were expected to follow that practice.
2. The Mayans had Excellent
Medical Techniques
Health and medicine among the ancient Maya was a complex
blend of mind, body, religion, ritual, and science. Important to all, medicine
was practiced only by a select few who were given an excellent education. These
men, called shamans, act as a medium between the physical world and spirit
world. They practice sorcery for the purpose of healing, foresight, and control
over natural events. Since medicine was so closely related to religion and
sorcery, it was essential that Maya shamans had vast medical knowledge and
skill. It is known that the Maya sutured wounds with human hair, reduced
fractures, and were even skilled dental surgeons, making prostheses from
jade and turquoise and filling teeth with iron pyrite.
3. Maya Blue or Azul Maya
Still a Mystery
Maya Blue or azul maya has been seen at several
architectural locations from the ancient Mayan civilization including the
archaeological site of Cacaxtla on the Mural de la batalla. Cacaxtla is a large
palace with many vibrant colored murals in Mayan style. As one of the
highlights of the ancient Mayan civilization this very gorgeous turquoise blue
color only survived to be seen because of the chemical characteristics that
made it possible and the composition is still unknown.
4. Mayans Played
Sophisticated Deadly Ball Games
The ancient Maya ballgame was played for thousands of years
throughout Mesoamerica, and had great religious significance.Contact with the
ball was limited. Any body part, except the hands and feet, was allowed; The
abdomen, thighs, upper arms and back were used. Maybe even the head. Kicking or
throwing the ball was forbidden. In addition, the ball was not allowed to touch
the ground. Slightly larger than basketball hoops, the rings were positioned on
opposite walls, about 25 feet above the playing field. The ball had to be
bounced off the wall in order to enter a ring. The ball was made of rubber and
weighed about eight pounds! This made severe injury a definite possibility.
Ballplayers wore protective gear, including wide padding around their hips
called “yokes.” They also wore pads on their forearms and knees so they could
fall to the ground in a kneeling position and hit the ball with one
hip. Game play itself is thought to have been incredibly violent.
Players would ram into each other at top speed so as to cause serious injury or
death to an opponent, and this was actively encouraged by the referees. The
game ended when the first goal was scored.
5. The Mayans Used Saunas
An important purification element to the ancient Maya was
the sweat bath, or zumpul-ché. Similar to a modern day sauna, sweat baths were
constructed of stone walls and ceilings, with a small opening in the top of the
ceiling. Water poured onto the hot rocks in the room created steam, offering a
setting in which to sweat out impurities. Sweat baths were used for a range of
conditions and situations. New mothers who had recently conceived a child would
seek revitalization in them, while individuals who were sick could find healing
power in sweating. Maya kings made a habit out of visiting the sweat baths as
well because it left them feeling refreshed and, as they believed, cleaner.
6. The Mayan Used
Hallucinogenics and Painkillers
The Mayan peoples regularly used hallucinogenic drugs
(taken from the natural world) in their religious rituals, but they also used
them in day to day life as painkillers. Flora such as peyote, the morning
glory, certain mushrooms, tobacco, and plants used to make alcoholic
substances, were commonly used. In addition, as depicted in Maya pottery and
carvings, ritual enemas were used for a more rapid absorption and effect of the substance. Above is a statue of a Mayan
enjoying their enema.
7. The Mayan
Still Practice Blood Sacrifices
Mayan civilization and its people practiced and promoted
blood sacrificed to their gods; especially of little children. Their sacrifices
usually would take place on the first appearance of the Planet Venus or simply
to appease the Sun. Unfortunately the sacrifice of little children existed in
almost all ancient cultures as they believe that offering the pure soul of the
children to the “gods” can somehow bring them prosperity and avoid adversity.
More specifically the Mayas sacrificed human beings for medical and religious
reasons. This practice cannot be seen among the present Mayans descendants;
however, they still use cattle and chicken blood instead of human blood.
8. The Last Mayan Kingdom
Existed Until 1697
The island city of Tayasal is considered as the last independent
Mayan Kingdom and it existed until 1696. Finally it was submitted to the
Spanish rule, after which the existence of all original ancient Mayas were
mysteriously eradicated and no one knows exactly why. Many theories have been
put to the table, one of which is that the Spanish carried a virus that Mayas
never faced before and it basically irradiated them.
9. Dec 21, 2012 Mayans
Marks Rare Cosmic Event
This
end-date of the Long Count Calendar December 21, 2012 marks the coming of a
truly rare cosmic event that will occur when this procession of the equinoxes
positions our solar system in the very center of our galaxy when Earth will
cross the ecliptic path of the sun.The world is talking about what will happen
on this date, however, not everyone is looking forward to it with the same set
of expectations. For some, 2012 hints at a coming apocalypse but more
optimistic views believe that, as the Maya claimed, we would begin to
experience some form of spiritual awakening, perhaps initiated by some cosmic
event or compelling miracle. But, we have no way of knowing for sure what
effects these cosmic events will have on Earth, as the last time an alignment
like this took place was over 150,000 years ago!
10. The Mayan Had
Advanced Writing Skills
The Maya
had fairly advanced writing skills, like the Egyptians their written language
was in hieroglyphs. They were capable of writing full sentences and
communicating stories. Most Maya could read some basic hieroglyphs
carved in stone but it would have been the nobles and priests that understood
the entire language. They covered their cities and building in hieroglyphs and
were adept at writing books made out of soft inner bark of fig trees.
They wrote using quills made from turkey feathers.
11. The Mayan Were Fond
Of Jewelry
The Mayan
culture was extremely fond of different forms of jewelry, the two most common
were jade and gold. Families of the Royals and priests wore more jewelry of a
much more sophisticated nature. The Jade was worn in beads,
bracelets, earrings and ear spools. Jade was one of the items most commonly
traded by the Mayans.
12. The Collapse of Mayan
Culture Still a Mystery
For reasons that are still debated, the Maya centers of the
southern lowlands went into decline during the 8th and 9th centuries and were
abandoned shortly thereafter. This decline was coupled with a cessation of
monumental inscriptions and large-scale architectural construction.
Non-ecological theories of Maya decline are divided into several subcategories,
such as overpopulation, foreign invasion, peasant revolt, and the collapse of
key trade routes. Ecological hypotheses include environmental disaster, epidemic
disease, and climate change. There is evidence that the Maya population
exceeded carrying capacity of the environment including exhaustion of
agricultural potential and over-hunting of megafauna. Some scholars have
recently theorized that an intense 200 year drought led to the collapse of Maya
civilization.
B#11
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