ANT 380 Ancient Maya

Diego de Landa

16h Century missionary. Wrote about the maya providing us with valuable resources; unfortunately, he also burned all but 4 of the Maya's written works Syllabary: Mayan glyphs--> latin alphabet, hosted public burnings of Mayan writings

Tun

18 winals or 360 days

Winal

20 k'ins (20 days) in long count (month) Glyphs p 166; 4th digit in the Long Count

bak'tun

20 katuns (400 years)

K'atun

20 tuns (20 years)

Tsolk'in

260 days long (length of human gestation) 20 day names & 13 numbers (day names always seen in cartouche) specific "lucky" and "unlucky" days used today by K'iche Maya Tsolk'in birthdate used as 2nd name in some areas This was the ritual calendar superimposed on the Haab calendar. Both together create the Calendar Round

Haab

365 day calendar

Dresden Codex

A 39 page divination almanac with several dates, rulers, and gods with their names transcribed next to their picture. It was one of the crucial artifacts used to aid in the decipherment of Mayan language.

52 year cycle

Belief that the sun might not rise again. On the day ceremonies and sacrifices were made to guarantee the sun's return The Calendar Round combination of Tsolk'in and Haab cycles 18,980 days long How long it takes for the Calendar Round to repeat

Lintels of Yaxchilan

Yaxchilan is 75 miles SE of Palenque; WIKI) The heiroglyphic stairway? I tried searching for this; nothing in notes and very little online. Yaxchilan Lintel 24 is showing a high status woman bloodletting on a paper to be used for sacrifice. Yaxchilan Lintel 25 is showing a high status woman looking up at a snake with a warrior head, it demonstrated her having a vision. Maybe that's significant? Lintel 24: Lady K'abal Xook Ix kaloomte (lady autocrat) drawing barbed rope through her tongue, man holding torch suggests nighttime, blood spilled on paper and then burned as offering probably in preparation for him to battle glyph says "it is her doing baah" Lintel 25 having vision of serpent don't know whose head on it, she conjured up something and a reference to warfare Snake visions were common themes of sacrifice.

Yuri Knorosov

a Soviet linguist, epigrapher and ethnographer, who is particularly renowned for the pivotal role his research played in the decipherment of the Maya script, the writing system used by the pre-Columbian Maya civilization of Mesoamerica. 1958 recognized syllabic nature, Principle of Synharmony (glyphs combine syllabes, vowel on second syllable is dropped), glyphic substitution (many syllable glyphs can be substituted for words and vice versa), phonetic compliments (syllables added on), conflation of signs/infixing, 2 dots means say syllable twice

Paso de la Amada

Early Preclassic Pacific Coast site Communal architecture Earliest ballcourt

Friar Ximénez

conservation of the Popol Vuh Domincian priest

logo-syllabic writing

consists of logograms and syllables LOGOGRAMS: stand for whole words or word-stems syllabograms: phonetic signs that represent syllables as well as the "pure vowels" unaccompanied by any consonant; scribes attached phonetic complements to logograms words often written in syllabic form; logograms were difficult, considered for elite, and represented culture

Izapa stelae

dated approx. 300-100 BC "Tree of Life" stone; Mesoamerican world tree connecting sky & water or underworld possibly a creation myth; found in ancient Mesoamerican site of Izapa in Chiapas, Mexico

K'in

day

El Manati

early Pre-Classic site (1500-1900) domesticated cacao, sacrificial bog containing earliest rubber balls, wooden figurines, jade

Hunahpu

Hero Twin Later rulers mark self with 3 dots on cheek in memory; Note: could also refer to their father, maize god?? Glyph p. 116 "Hunter" One of Mayan Hero Twins kills Vucub Caquix defeats Lords of Xibalba

Bonampak Murals

Late-Classic murals; first discovered in 1946 by two American adventurers murals cover the walls of three rooms in the so-called Templo de las Pinturas (Temple of the Paintings), or Structure 1, a small building on the first terrace of Bonampak's acropolis vividly depicted scenes of courtly life, war, and ceremonies are considered among the most elegant and sophisticated mural paintings of the Americas. These are not only a unique example of the fresco painting technique mastered by the ancient Maya, but they also offer a rare view onto daily life in a Classic Maya court Usually, such windows onto courtly life are only available in small or scattered form, in painted vessels, and - without the richness of color - on stone carvings, such as the lintels of Yaxchilan. The murals of Bonampak, by contrast, provide a detailed and colorful view of the courtly, warlike and ceremonial attires, gestures and objects of the ancient Maya.

Kaminaljuyu

Major prehistoric Maya site located at Guatemala City site during the Maya civilization that was occupied during 1500 BC till AD 1200 Why does it matter: shows different important cities during the civilization city in Popol Vuh, (~100 BC - 150 AD) 200+ ceremonial mounds, intense agriculture + irrigation, temples made of wood and thatch, pyramids as tombs for nobles

Jasaw Chan K'awiil ("Ruler A")

Maya ruler of Tikal, brought about the resurgence of Late Classic Tikal following the military reverses of the Hiatus period at the hands of Calakmul and its client Dos Pilas

naah

Mayan glyph that means house

ballgame

had religious and political significance; played on sacred ballcourt; played near political buildings, used a rubber ball that was driven through metal rings on walls; losers were sacrificed

Cenote

natural wells on the Yucatan Peninsula A deep sinkhole filled with fresh water sinkhole with fresh water at the bottom; place of sacrifice (mayans)

apsidal dwellings

rectangular with rounded ends (oval) middle preclassic - bodies placed under floor of apsidal house at k'axob ~800 BC; typical maya commoner dwelling thatched roof.

vigesimal

related to or based on the number 20

Madrid, Paris, Grolier codices

show astronomy, divination, and ritual practices, written on bark paper, also contains predictions for tuns and k'atuns Tons of calendrics Predict lunar eclipses and movement of Venus

quiche or K'iche

the Mayan language Ancestors were made from maize dough Popol Vuh:"Bible", creation story state was headed by a king, king-elect, and two "captains", quadripartite rule largest Mayan linguistic groups an advanced civilization in pre-Columbian times, with a high level of political and social organization. Archaeological remains show large population centres and a complex class structure

Principle of synharmony

the first vowel of the first syllabogram matches the second (vowel harmony) CV syllable construction Knorosov's second rule Example: ku-ts(u) = kuts pom = copal resin (incense) written phonetically at po-mo

Popol Vuh

the most famous of the Maya books that recounts the Highland Maya's version of the story of creation. creation story of the K'iche Mayans that chronicles the creation of man and the trials of Hero Twins 1 Hunahpu + 7 Hunahpu, and hunahpu + Xbalanque and geneaologies

Tikal

the most important Maya political center between the 4th-9th centuries. It was a city that had temples, pyramids, palaces, and public buildings; 33+ rulers in the same family over 800 years; dynastic rulers, Mundo Perdido complex (birthplace of first royal dynasty)

Sierra Red pottery

widespread ceramic style in Late Preclassic that lost popularity in Early Classic no other point in mayan time where the same type of pottery was made over such a long period of time; duck (a domesticated animal for mayans) pot from K'axob OP11 - elsewhere found to contain residue of cacao - common across mayan lowlands from chiapa de corzo (western end of maya region in mexico) to caribbean during late preclassic - vertical spout served some function other than pouring... blow into spout to aerate liquid chocolate?;

Dos Pilas

Site found near Tikal; established in the hinterlands of the territory. Inscription that tells the story of a prolonged and bloody war between the enemy cities of Tikal and Calakmil

K'inich Ajaw

"Sun god"; "sun lord" used by rulers in Classic Period, shows that religion was becoming important part of rulership Recognizable by: -His large "god eye" -A Roman nose -Upper incisors filed into a T-shape -A tendril curling from the corner of the mouth -A flower like K'IN logogram in the forehead or elsewhere. Glyph P. 112-113 stucco masks on pyramids in late preclasseic of K'inich Ajaw and PBD (principal bird deity). stucco masks on pyramids in late preclasseic of K'inich Ajaw and PBD (principal bird deity). Also-When used in reference to royalty, acts as an royal title (means "great sun") (see p 77). Common only at Palenque and Caracol

K'uhul Ajaw

"sacred god"; separated royalty from normal gods in Early Preclassic; Kings who ruled over polities (more powerful I suppose) were given k'uhul title meaning divine Divine lord

winik

'person'/'man', 20 fingers/toes, and month (20 days in mayan month)

Spanish Entradas

(colonial period & Spanish conquest) explorers noted impressive stone constructions of monumental scale with complex iconography and hieroglyphs

Mesoamerica

A geographic region in the western hemisphere that was home of the Mayan and Aztec civilizations. o Hieroglyphic texts and books Codex/Codices • Book that is written in one long form (for Mayans in hieroglyphics) o Ballgame o Calendrical system o Ritual sacrifice o Polytheism Gods for everything Considered to be part human, part supernatural being, part animal Cosmos Cyclical birth/rebirth o Nixtamalization/Corn Agriculture

were-jaguar

A representation of a supernatural figure that is half jaguar and half human Olmec

phonetic complement

An addition of a symbol, usually syllabic and usually a consonant, at the end of a word to reinforce the phonetic pronunciation of the word. A logogram may be complemented with a phonogram, called phonetic complement. It is the last phonetic value of the word for which the logogram stands. It can be used to determine which particular choice of the logogrammatic value is meant, and often it helps in the interpretation of the grammatical function. a phonetic symbol used to disambiguate logograms that have multiple possible readings Can sometimes be used to make up an entire word by themselves.

Sajal

Appears to be a title for a magnate Particularly common along Usumacinta River Title for some sort of magnate, possibly territorial nobles Pretty late development in hilly terrain where there is much conflict Territorial nobles in time of conflict who served as warriors and maintained boundaries of Kingdoms and thus given more honor because of this a high rank subordinate to ajaw Glyph p. 165 Think "magnate." Military nobles/generals Many had subtitles like "Head Spear" title for elite court members who weren't high rulers of kingdoms but ruled secondary centers surrounding capitals

Lowe projectile point

Archaic (5000-2000/1000 BC) look somewhat like fishtail used for hunting smaller animals; first discovered in 1980s near Lowe Ranch significant because it's nearly impossible to find Archaic/Early Preclassic Maya remains, so we have to make do.

Tatiana Proskuriakov

Architect who drew highly accurate reconstructive pictures of ancient ruins and also discovered that the hieroglyphics were historical in nature and just not of religious context

K'axob

Belize- preclassic near pullhouser swamp (little canals where land meets swamp... appears to have been farmed). (early) Middle Preclassic - pottery looks like squash or pumpkin (similarly at paso de la amada pottery looked like gourds); Swampy area N. Belize, supported diverse plants + animals, strucutres built overtop of each other, burials showed importance of ancestors --> grave goods, residential platforms Farmed island fields next to marsh, burial of important leader probably for ritual purposes "Joventud Red" pottery - tecomate form "Timax incised"- resist bichrome OP7 - late preclassic house not many stones, earthen construction. OP10 - lower vessel of lip-to-lip cache. Late preclassic sierra red slip on an early classic form (evidence of change happening slowly) bottom bowl of lip-to-lip cache containing 3 pieces of limestone (mayan creation stories talk about 3 stones) OP1 - late preclassic residential platform - made of soft limestone OP11 - sierra red duck pot There were platforms with pyramids on each side, possibly used for religious ceremonies, where people would have congregated for rituals. Other plazas seem to have housed huge, extended families.

Nixtamalization

Boiling maize in a solution of water and mineral lime to break down compounds in the kernels, increasing their nutritional value; process of soaking corn in a alkaline solution, makes it more nutritious and removes toxic fungi

3114 BC

Creation Date; beginning of the last "great Cycle"; Long Count counts up from this creation date

Dancing (ak'taj)

Deity "Impersonation" to open portals of communication w/deities & ancestors

San Bartolo

Mayan site, late preclasic mural paintings heavily influenced by Olmec tradition, site includes 85 foot pyramid A site in Guatemala where archaeologists have discovered painted murals and hieroglyphics dating to the Preclassic period. Corn "maidens" emerging from underworld cave offertory scene; Known for polychrome wall murals. Has oldest known intact Maya murals.

Joventud Red pottery

Middle Preclassic pottery style; tecomate form found at K'axob looks like squash, pumpkin, or cut off gourd

Olmec

One of the earliest Mesoamerican civilizations, Between ca. 1200 and 400 B.C.E., these people of central Mexico created a vibrant civilization that included intensive agriculture, wide-ranging trade, ceremonial centers, and monumental construction. Mexican Pre-Classic society characterized by bloodletting, long count calendar, ballgame, were-jaguar imagery in art thought to represent spritiual transformation, basalt heads

El Mirador

Thriving capital of the Mayan civilization; earliest emergence of a powerful state in the Maya lowlands Full scope of Late Pre-Classic achievement in the southern Maya lowlands has only come to light at the sites of Nakbe and El Mirador, located in northernmost Petén, region w/extensive swamps, bajos, that were probably shallow lakes in that era Northwest of Nakbe Connected to it by a causeway which crosses the intervening bajos, turned out to be earliest Maya capital city, far older than the Tikal, dwarfs in size and lessens by its antiquity Reach coincided w/spread of Ch'olti'an as a prestige language Late Pre-Classic (Chicanel) date Largely abandoned throughout the Early Classic, evidence of Late Classic reoccupation in the high-court yards of some its pyramids Abandoned ~200 AD triadic temple complexes and basil platforms mark of Pre-Classic, El Tigre Pre-Classic stucco mural seems to reference Popol Vuh

Xbalanque

Twin of Hunahpu; His brother and he perform heroic deeds in defeating the lords of the underworld and eventually become the sun and the moon one of the hero twins "Jaguar Deer" jaguar fur on face Important in the creation narrative

cacao

Used for ritual drinking, highly priced crop in trading, used as form of currency, signified wealth if you had them