Maya Civilization - Grade: A+ PDF

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Final Paper on Maya Civilization ...

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Latin American Civilization Julian Hermanson

Maya Civilization compared to Apocalypto There are several major differences and similar depictions between historical fact about Maya civilization and the 2006 film, Apocalypto, which was directed by Mel Gibson. The movie failed to mention how the Maya’s sustained their populations through agriculture, societal or political organization, spiritual beliefs and deities, and accurate perspective on warfare or human sacrifice. Also, the time frame and architectural features in Apocalypto jumped from the preclassic Teotihuacan or El Tajin period to the Olmec period (1500 BCE) in Maya civilization (Phillips, 2005). It’s not realistic to fit an entire history and the different eras of Maya civilization in one movie, but the film did focus mostly on the classic period of the Mayas which was between 250 – 900 CE (Phillips, 2005). Perhaps the few cultural aspects that were accurate was the use of body art, dressage, geographic location, and the native Maya language, Yucatec (Phillips, 2005). In the opening scene, Jaguar Paw, the main character, or the chief’s son and his tribesmen were using a complex contraption with sharp spears that pierced into a tapir when the string attached to a tree was stepped on. However, the few animals they domesticated were dogs, and the Mayas ate mostly deer, fish, or turkeys as a meat source. It may seem as a clever hunting tool used by this primitive tribe, but the Mayas were better known for agriculture and farming techniques. Their main staple or crop was maize including beans, squash, chilies, and tomatoes (Hernandez, 1999). The crops cultivated and used primarily by the elites were cacao, since they enjoyed drinking chocolate, and cotton. The Mayas created farming techniques to sustain large populations and created cities with urban, ceremonial centers that grew outwards in which the

nobles or elites lived closer to the central part of the city, meanwhile the commoners, warriors, and slaves lived on the outskirts (Hernandez, 1999). While Apocalypto did display some realistic, detailed architecture and appearance of the tribesmen, the time frame did not match the featured Triadic pyramids that were built from lime stone in the pre-classic times. But, the film was set up in a more classical Maya era. The elite or nobles lived in residential areas close to the urban center such as the city of Tikal, Copan, Palenque, Chunchucmil, and Bonampak (Hernandez, 1999). Meanwhile, the commoners, warriors, families, and slaves lived closer to the jungle or farming villages. The commoner huts were not wooden stick huts as seen in the movie, instead they were built out of stone or fired brick with raised platforms for rainy seasons (LeonPortilla, 1969). The interior of commoner homes and inside temples showed painted drawings of their culture, temples, thrones, weapons and tools used, animals that they domesticated, clothing, body jewelry used from jade or gold, and the deities such as the Sun God that they worshipped (Alonzo, 1991). The main plot in Apocalypto was when Jaguar Paw, the Maya tribesmen, and women were fleeing their captors, another Maya tribe from human sacrifice and forced slavery. However, human sacrifice and widespread slavery was criticized the most by cultural anthropologists and Latin American civilization professors because the ceremonial rituals to appease the gods by sacrificing a human soul was more of an Aztec tradition, not Maya (Alonzo, 1991). Also, in the scene where Jaguar Paw and his comrades were about to be placed on a stone platform and have their hearts cut out with a jagged stone knife played the part of creating a dramatic scene to add on to the terror of Maya civilization, but human sacrifice was rare especially among commoners. Most times a rival will kill a noble or one of royal blood from an opposing tribe to display dominance, please the Sun God, or as a message to threaten taking over

a city populated by another group of the Maya people. Human sacrifices compared to the fictional film, in Maya civilization was a part of agricultural rituals and to fix natural phenomenon such as drought, famine, or disease to give the God’s human blood, in order to satisfy them according to what many ancient pre-Columbian civilizations believed in (Alonzo,1991). Towards the end in Apocalypto, Jaguar paw did not get sacrificed due to a solar eclipse blocking the sun as a natural sign that no more human deaths were needed therefor his life was sparred, then when the prisoners were freed, in order to truly escape they had to run across an open field and were used as practice target in a spearing range. The only one to make it at the jungles edge, which had a pit of dead bodies, was Jaguar Paw because he ran in a zig- zag pattern to avoid being hit by a spear unlike the others. This technique of torture and a mass grave pit was unheard of in actual Maya history but it provided a dramatic scene out of many in Apocalypto (Phillips, 2005). It is vital that while historical fictional films can rightfully exaggerate the truth, they still should not distort an ancient civilization’s culture and confuse it with another. The film displayed brief scenes of interaction between the men and women in the tribe. It made it seem like the typical male dominated society with specific male and female gender roles. While the women were known for being the main household caretakers and child-bearers, according to archeologists and cultural anthropologists, women held positions in politics and were considered as equals in Mayan culture when it came to the workforce in agriculture and having influence in urban centers. The Mayas had a more complex societal structure, social class division, equal gender roles, and political organization than compared to the European counterparts (Phillips, 2005).

Mayan society was divided between the elites and commoners. As the Maya population increased in the numerous city – states called cahs, a native Yucatec word, it called for strong political organization and a network of alliances (Hernandez, 1999). In the early and classic Maya periods, the divine ruler was the figure head for all political decisions. It was based on noble or royal authority but the disadvantage was that the ruler’s actions and decisions were limited to traditions in rituals, agricultural methods, and previous warfare strategies. An observation noticed by film critics, is that Mel Gibson portrayed the Mayas as this barbaric group of people with no societal structure. However, the Mayas had divisive social classes as well that ranked the nobles and priests as higher class followed by the warriors, artisans, servants, farmers, laborers, shamans, and slaves (Leon-Portilla, 1969). By the 9th and 10th century, divine individual rule was replaced and instead a council of advisors would govern the Maya city-states in the Yucatan to the Guatemalan highlands (Zapata,1991). Each part of the land was held accountable by the community that reinforced their connection to the property by burial of their ancestors. Most of classic Maya rule was based on a hereditary connection and the ajaw or emperor was regarded as the supreme figure in Maya civilization. However, the chief named Flint Sky in Apocalypto, was not seen in fancy headdresses, wearing gold bracelets, or living in a stoned temple because he was actually a commoner that had a higher status within his small scaled tribe (Phillips, 2005). The Maya political system did not involve all of its inhabitants in the empire. They mixed political institutions or levels of organization by chiefdoms, rivalries, vassalages, and alliances. Different city-states throughout Maya history had reached regional dominance and political influence such as Calakmul, Mayapan, and Tikal in 9th century BC (Hernandez, 1999). Towards the later pre-classic political system, the elites justified the ruler’s authority by public display of

rituals and religious sacraments. The ajaw or divine ruler was the center of society’s power and he had the ultimate control over administrative, economic, and military strategy (Zapata,1991). Sometimes in Maya culture, loyal supporters could replace blood-related relatives to fill in gaps of political or governing roles and the ruling councils existed in Chichen-Itza and Copan. The city-states or empire were reinforced by the presence of warriors to protect the border lines. This complex system of social classes, politics, and societal organization was dismissed in Apocalypto’s version of Maya tribesmen living in the jungle primitively. Rivalry at diverse regions throughout the Yucatan led to dynamic political compromises, disagreements, ritual dances, presented war captives, human or child sacrifices as offerings of tribute, and religious ceremonies (Zapata,1991). Apocalypto did not go into detail of what the Mayan faith or what their cultural values were. In Mesoamerican culture, the Mayas believed in supernatural deities. Examples of the Gods they worshipped included the Gods of rain, thunder, moon, sun, and corn. The primary God of corn was the main deity they looked up to since maize was their abundant source of energy. The God of rain and thunder was called Chaac and all of these deities were represented by earthly figures such as fire, lizard, fish, water, Earth, and corn. The movie showed that certain rituals such as human sacrifice were to please the Sun God and that the Kuhul Ajaw or holy lords claimed to be related to the gods and gave the same title to their sons by hereditary succession (Zapata,1991). The relation as seen in the film is that the Maya ruler acted as a mediator between the gods and mortal people on Earth. Elaborate rituals, religious ceremonies, and human sacrifices were an important part of Maya culture. Throughout the movie, Jaguar Paw had this consistent calling from the gods that showed signs of a presence by reoccurring natural phenomenon such as the clouds blocking out the sun right before he was going to have his heart

ripped out in a sacrificial ritual, or heavy rain towards the end of the movie as he returned back into the jungle. There is a deep- rooted connection between the Mayas and their natural environment especially for the commoners (Phillips, 2005). Another scene in Apocalypto that displayed the faith of the Mayas, was when the tribe sits together in a circle around a fire to listen to stories passed down by a generation of shamans, who were these wise men or elders that taught lessons to the warriors and younger tribal members about their previous chiefs, history, alliances, beliefs, and values. Before the tribe had gathered as a community, Jaguar Paw had a dream about a chief from the Naskapi tribe being forced to flee their home out of fear of being captured by the intruders, who are Mayas from a higher social class and live in the urban stone covered metropolis (Hernandez, 1999). Jaguar Paw’s dream was considered sacred in Maya culture, a precursor or warning that something similar would happen. His dream was no coincidence because the next morning, he senses tension in the jungle and notices the intruders carrying fired torches, approaching the huts where his tribe slept in preparation for a raid. The warning had allowed him to prepare for the attack and get his pregnant wife and son hidden into a cave. Jaguar Paw always kept his father’s advice in mind after he was brutally murdered in the film, “Not to Fear.” He realized that fear was not a traditional Maya trait no matter what the circumstances were. That simple word of advice had helped Jaguar Paw to keep him alive, escape his captors from a target spearing range, and reunite with his family. As Jaguar Paw fled the urban metropolis back into the jungle, at one point he creates a barrier at a waterfall between the raiders, who had refused to allow any prisoners escape alive. Then, he yells at them, “I am Jaguar Paw. Son of Flint Sky. My father hunted this forest before me. My name is Jaguar Paw. I am a hunter. This is my forest and my sons will hunt it with their sons after I am gone.” This was a strong statement that showed Jaguar Paw’s

connection to the jungle or forest, and he loses all sense of fear because his family and home was calling for him. The film did not put emphasis on Maya beliefs but they even valued the underworld which is ruled by the God named Yum Cimil (Hernandez, 1999). In the Yucatec language, Xibalba refers to the underworld, where sinister souls ended up in their final destination after death (Hernandez, 1999). They also believed in the animalistic spirits in the present world, and the afterlife. In Mayan beliefs, man was a revised creation, at first, he was perfect to Maya standards but, the Gods had feared their creation therefore, destroying the first man. Throughout evolution, man returned as a lower form of entity with more human like features as he exists today. Also, the Mayas believed that the Gods were extraterrestrial beings that came from outer space and would one day return to Earth in a spiritual awakening (Hernandez, 1999). Mayan warfare in Apocalypto was brutal and savage, but there was a lot more techniques and weapons used that were not discussed about thoroughly. Also, the tribe seen in the film seemed vulnerable and weak, but Mayas engaged in wars often throughout the various citystates. Archeological evidence uncovered an array of tools and weaponry used especially in the early and classic Maya time periods from 600 to 900 A.D (Leon-Portilla, 1969). Most early wars in Maya civilization were fought due to the use of captives, normally of opposing noble blood, for human sacrifices. Other reasons include fighting for property rights, natural resources, and control of trade. War for resources became endemic as Maya populations increased in numerous city-states creating a food shortage. Warfare was a possible factor for the “Maya Collapse”, or the abandonment of certain city-states (Leon-Portilla, 1969). The types of weapons that the Mayas had used were long distance bow and arrow, slings, throwing spears or shorter spears called atlatl and melee weapons, which include stone and jade axes, clubs, and jagged stone

knives (Hernandez, 1999). The atlatl spears and concept of striking the opponent’s heart came from Teotihuacan (around 400 A.D.) and the atlatl became the dominant weapon used by the Mayan warriors (Hernandez, 1999). In Apocalypto, the main types of weapons used was the bow and arrow, especially for hunting or killing rival tribes. The warriors covered themselves in naturally made body paint and animal skins to show their social status or rank. Wars were also led by the Ahaus or rulers and some of the reasons for warfare was territorial claims, capturing prisoners, or in those of another royal blood. Effects of warfare between 700 and 900 A.D. in the Maya city-states caused the Mayas to abandon their homes (Hernandez, 1999). Nobody knows till this day the exact reasons for Mayan wars, but possible factors could be military dominance, power of vassal states, humiliating rival tribes, and defending city-states. The opposing tribes engaged in warfare to destroy one another’s homes, raid to take captives, and have control over trade routes. In most Maya art, war was depicted mostly in the classic period and shown in hieroglyphic inscriptions, but Maya art does not describe in detail the exact causes for wars, just possible theories (Hernandez, 1999). Examples of kingdoms that fell in the 8th – 9th centuries, was the Kingdom of Peten in the Petexbatun region, and the abandonment of Aguateca by its inhabitants, which were raided by unknown enemies around 810 AD (Phillips, 2005). The elites fled the city or possibly captured and used as human sacrifice. The Mayas are not as notorious for sacrifices like the Aztecs, but they did partake in killing other nobles to appease the gods. Usually, the Mayas participated in sacrificial rituals to persuade to the other indigenous members of the tribe that there will be no more drought, famine, disease epidemics, or misfortune if the Sun God or any other deity was satisfied by enough human or animal blood as a sacred gift (Phillips, 2005). It was unclear in Apocalypto, if the tribe of Jaguar Paw were raided by a completely different indigenous tribe, or if their captors were also Maya but of a higher social

status. The men were used as possible human sacrifice subjects by beheading methods or having their hearts ripped out of their chest by a sharp knife while laying on a raised stone platform meanwhile, the women were enslaved or sold off at auctions to be housewives for the rivals. By watching the movie alone, one may not know if the captors are from a similar tribe or a completely different group. The Maya people were not acknowledged in Apocalypto for their contributions in society. However, archeologists have found remnants of artifacts and art on ceramics, frescoes, wooden pieces, stucco architecture, and architecture as evidence of a resilient culture (Leon-Portilla, 1969). They were known for an established counting method up to 20 using dots and bars to symbolize single or double-digit numbers, a writing system using hieroglyphics that had 500 phonetic symbols that closely resembled the spoken language, astrology, use of herbal medicines, mathematics, and the development of the calendar (Leon-Portilla, 2005). The two calendars developed by the Mayas worked together in interlocking gears as a round stoned centerpiece. One calendar called the Haab or Tun is the one also used in modern times which consists of 365 days. The Tzolkin is the sacred calendar and it is 260 days. The calendars cannot go past dates longer than 52 days per cycle (Leon-Portilla, 1969). Also, the Mayas had distinct writing and literacy in the classic and post-classic period. Yucatec was used in codices along with another recognized Maya language called Ch’olan and both were used mainly for literacy purposes (Leon-Portilla, 1969). Maya scripts and hieroglyphics painted on ceramics or stone slabs date back to 200 – 300 BC. The early Maya scripts were found in the Peten Basin along the pacific coast of Guatemala (Leon-Portilla, 1969). Most of written scriptures and texts were destroyed by the Spanish conquistadores and Catholic Jesuits in the post-classic period, so the surviving artifacts and written history is just a small

sample of what the Mayas had actually produced. The remaining Maya scriptures were from the classic period and painted on ceramics. There is a repetitive pattern of the word B’alam which means jaguar (Leon-Portilla, 1969). As with the main character, Jaguar Paw, the animal itself is seen as a powerful symbol in Maya culture. Most commoners were orally versed on their history, but they were illiterate when it came to reading and writing. Only some aristocrats and women from a privileged social status could write and/or read. Women were represented in art as scribes as well as men and it is shown on ceramics that they used ink pots as their writing source and to communicate ideas (Leon-Portilla, 1969). Also, art showing scribes writing using black ink were revealed at the Palace of Copan, which showed that the higher social classes were the only literate ones in Maya society (Leon-Portilla,1969). Also, another thing that the Mayas were very fond of is the use of jade and gold in jewelry and attire. But, it was usually just the royals and upper social class that were permitted to wear jade, a greenish-blue tinted stone (LeonPortilla,1969). Another aspect of life that the Mayas valued was holistic health. They used herbal medicines and rituals to heal those with illnesses and believed that overall health was a mixture of science, beliefs, mind, body, and soul (Zapata,1991). The shamans in the Maya community acted as mediums between the physical and spiritual world. They practiced sorcery for the purpose of healing and to have an influence over natural phenomenon (Zapata,1991). As an example of using the natural environment for medical purposes, in the film, the wife of Jaguar Paw healed an open wound of her son’s leg by using the bites of an ant to act as sutures or stitches. There are many possible theories about the “Maya collapse” or the end of a classic May...