ANTH 314g

San Bartolo

A site in Guatemala where the Maya creation story was first discovered on the West Wall Mural. There are also fancy pots of offering found in the tomb. At the San Bartolo mural, the influence of all parts of Mesoamerica came together.

Pachuca

Substance used to make tools? Obsidian source near Teo that was controlled by Teo. Not black but more green, made it more precious

K'inich Ajaw

Sun god, the embodiement of a young, handsome god, during sunrise he has a "fishy start" as he starts out over the water, and he is the god connected to human sacrifice

Thin orange ceramics

Teotihuacan had Thin Orange ceramics, and you might see shards of this throughout Meso-America

Key Points on Classic Maya External Relations

Teotihuacan was the major urban center of Classic Period Mesoamerica Evidence of Teotihuacan influence begins appearing at Kaminaljuyu in the Early Classic Lowland Teotihuacan influence begins with the enigmatic 11 Eb event in AD 378 Sihyaj K'ahk' changes the political landscape of the Maya lowlands after his arrival in Tikal Teotihuacan imagery has a Late Classic resurgence that still needs to be explained

Key Points on Time and the Maya

The Calendar Round is a combination of the 260 day calendar and the 365 calendar that is common to all Mesoamerican civilizations The Long Count developed first in the Gulf lowlands and was then perfected by the Maya The Long Count anchors Maya reckoning of time beginning in August of 3114 BC Maya calendrical cycles were intimately tied to the role of the dynastic ruler The king's association with the Maya Sun God, K'inich Ajaw, is directly related to the base unit of the Long Count

Pyramids

The earliest monuments consisted of simple burial mounds, the precursors to the spectacular stepped pyramids from the Terminal Pre-classic period and beyond. These pyramids relied on intricate carved stone in order to create a stair-stepped design. Many of these structures featured a top platform upon which a smaller dedicatory building was constructed, associated with a particular Maya deity. Maya pyramid-like structures were also erected to serve as a place of interment for powerful rulers. Maya pyramidal structures occur in a great variety of forms and functions, bounded by regional and periodical differences.

Classical Ch'olti'

Classical language of Mayan hieroglyphs. The Ch'olti' language is an extinct Mayan language which was spoken by the Manche Ch'ol people of eastern Guatemala and southern Belize. It was used by elite higher order.

Key Points on Maya Religion

It is because of their writing and iconography that we have a comparatively detailed understanding of Classic Maya religion and culture The Maya had a complex array of gods which allude complete understanding Theosynthesis and quadripartite divisions meant that gods were simultaneously singular and multiple beings The Maya practiced a number of rituals linked to the cycles of time and planets and gods were active participants in these rituals Wahyob and sacred ancestors also intervened directly in the lives of humans

Palaces

Large and often highly decorated, the palaces usually sat close to the center of a city and housed the population's elite. Every exceedingly large royal palace, or one consisting of many chambers on different levels might be referred to as an acropolis. However, often these were one-story and consisted of small chambers and typically at least one interior courtyard; these structures appear to take into account the needed functionality required of a residence, as well as the decoration required for their inhabitants stature. Archaeologists seem to agree that many palaces are home to various tombs. At Copán, beneath over four-hundred years of later remodeling, a tomb for one of the ancient rulers has been discovered and the North Acropolis at Tikal appears to have been the site of numerous burials during the Terminal Pre-classic and Early Classic periods.

Cascajal Block

*Found in Mexico by a farmer in 2006, originally assumed to be a fake. *Serpentine slab that dates back to the first century BC. *Not enough to decipher, but there is structure to the text—a link between Olmec civilization and literacy.

aj k'uhuun

*glyph for god or holy, but pre-fixed to make it a noble title - most common noble title *religious or priestly connotations - depicted as wearing headdresses and holding quills *Some have monuments dedicated to them

Itzamnaaj

-Closest we have to supreme deity -Inventor of writing and patron of learning and science -Associated with wisdom, knowledge, and high maya culture

Ballcourts

-Large grounds, with stair like structures slanting upwards, game played with rubber ball, rules so far indicate that the ball was not allowed to touch hands or fee

Chahk

-Maya rain deity -Carries an axe to make thunder and lightning to let the maize god re-emerge -Still worshiped in Yucatan today - can be a force for good (rain for crops) or a dangerous force (hurricane and drought)"

Kaminaljuyu

-Site in the southern Guatemalan highlands -In the middle of Guatemala City -Evidence of elite graves -earliest evidence of Teotihuacan influence -Reached its peak in the Late Pre-classic period (when most of its buildings are from)

Key points on the ajaw

"ajaw" is an ancient term relating to the oratory nature of Mesoamerican rulership The ajaw bestowed many titles upon himself highlighting his roles and personal achievements The ajaw was not necessarily autonomous, with some being subservient to others The ajaw played many roles, including: sacrificer, dancer, consumer, assembler of wealth, intermediary with the gods, and warrior Maya women, while less emphasized, played an important role in legitimizing Maya kingship Royal courts are the places where the ajaw ruled from and performed many of his roles

k'uh

"god" - The names are mainly taken from the Books of Chilam Balam, Lacandon ethnography, the Madrid Codex, the work of Diego de Landa, and the Popol Vuh.

k'uhul

"holy" lord, from the word k'uh meaning god, only has significance locally (he is holy within his own settlement but if he is captured, he is not holy anymore)

Copan Mosaics Project

* Puts together Mayan writing with field archeology. Figuring out the history in relation the actual sites. * Able to do it at Copan for their amazing archaeology.

Kaloomte'

*"High king" - a title Adopted by kings of Tikal and Calakmul - could represent overlordship

San Lorenzo

*1400BC - Developed rapidly, in 3-4 centuries. First Olmec site that demonstrates state-level complexity. Related to the control of precious objects. *Redistribution networks—things come into the capital, then are distributed outward via the local river system. Elites also control jade and other precious materials. *Theorized that monuments in the North represent deified ancestral rulers, while monuments in the South are meant to be viewed individually, perhaps in procession.

The Tikal Project

*A huge project, mapping and excavating the area of Tikal (UPenn) - Helped show maya cities where many people dwelled was possible *Huge scale, went year-round for 13-14 years. Information has still not been published. *Fully restored Tikal into the tourist site it is today, but its not perfect and sometimes unethical.

atlatl

*A weapon that originated in the Mexican highlands *Stela 5 from Uaxactún depicted a "striding warrior in Teotihuacan dress" who is holding an atlatl - suggests the foreigner who came to Tikal was from Teotihuacan. It also indicates his arrival was probably associated with military invasion.

War Serpent

*Ancestral form of the Aztec Xiucoatl, "Fire Serpent"; Connections with iconography of felines ("power") and caterpillars ("transformation") and butterflies. Butterflies were considered very war like creatures for the Teotihuacan people. *One of the most common symbols seen spreading in mesoamerica civilization, could be due to direct conflicts with Teotihuacan or show respect for them (wants to emulate their symbol of power).

Tatiana Proskouriakoff

*Artist: drew beautiful picture of Maya ruins - Had a distinguished career and was a lasting figure in Maya archaeology *Later years: focused on Maya art, Studied the historical implications of a pattern of dates at Piedra Negras, Guatemala-1960 *Highlighted glyphs of birth and royal succession - Thought they depicted human life span *Huge contribution in understanding the written language - Discovered that dates on Stella marked historical events in the life of the ruler

Gordon Willey

*Barton Ramie, Belize *Looked at a bunch of sites in a landscape and compare them to each other and the area around them. *Developed a field called settlement archeology - relationships between different sites and their surroundings. He was made a professor at Harvard even though he had never been to Maya area. He visited the Maya area after becoming a professor.

Long Count

*Calendrical system for the Maya, and can relate to our system *Starts from a zero count, based on a 20 count system (A bar = 5, a Dot = 1)

The Uaxactun Project

*Carnegie institution did major archeological work on Uaxactun. *Name means "eight stones", sounds like Washington *Focused on the hieroglyphic inscriptions

Alfred Maudslay

*Cleared large amounts of people from the jungle, so that he can figure out exactly how the ruins looked. High quality photos in the publication. British. Visited ruins in 1880. *Commanded everyone to clear the jungle so he could get a better view of the Maya setting. Since then, the jungle has grown back. It provided priceless pictures of the setting. Found hieroglyphs - all his drawings were drawn by Annie Hunter.

Carnegie Institution of Washington

*Did major excavations on Maya Architecture. *Directed by Alfred Kitter, Lead charge to investigate Maya area *Helped allow sites to relatively date each other based on pottery

Emblem Glyphs

*Emblem glyphs are for specific people *shows they were independent and had their own lord *Can indicate lineage and precedes ajaw

Adaptive Areas

*Environmental characteristics are distinct from other areas. Certain characteristics about resources around you give insight into how the terrain and geography make up these areas. *Changes in the Lowland environment affected agriculture customs e.g. when and how many resources could/would be acquired. Most of the highland and lowland Maya environment was an adaptive and unpredictable area.

Mesoamerica

*Extending from the deserts of northern Mexico to the dry tropical forests of northwestern Costa Rica, Mesoamerica is a geographically and ethnically diverse area that included thousands of cultures united by similarities in religion, art, language, and socio-political organization. *Some of the familiar Mesoamerican cultures include the Aztecs, the Mayas, and the Olmecs, with lesser publicized groups such as Zapotecs, Teotihuacanos, Mixtecs, and Tarascans thrown in the mix. *Among one of the common cultural traits found in many Mesoamerican groups is writing. In fact, Mesoamerica is the only place in the Americas where indigenous writing systems were invented and used before European colonization. While the types of writing systems in Mesoamerica range from minimalist "picture-writing" to complex logo-phonetic systems capable to recording speech and literature, they all share some core features that make them visually and functionally distinct from other writing systems of the world.

John Lloyd Stephens and Frederick Catherwood

*John Lloyd Stephens was an important early explorer. Wrote a book about his travels. Traveled to Central America (that was one country at the time) with the task of finding a government for America to interact with. He ditched this task and studied ancient sites in Central America. He was then made an ambassador for Central America. He died early from a tropical disease. *Frederick Catherwood was a British artist who brought a special camera with him. It would reflect the image onto the piece of paper so he could trace it effectively. They were much more accurate than previous renderings of Maya images. Catherwood died on a sinking ship - the SS Arctic - sank in the arctic sea.

Caves and Karst Geology

*Karst is an area of land made up of limestone. *Led to an efficient way for the Mayans to acquire ground water. *Limestone, also known as chalk or calcium carbonate, is a soft rock that dissolves in water. Karst landscapes can be worn away from the top or dissolved from a weak point inside the rock. *Supports Cave Systems due to the erosion. *Large cave systems were considered sacred, spiritual spaces that were portals/the entrance to the underworld. *Mayans thought sun set and rose out of caves. Related to death.

Nakbe

*Large early Maya archeological site. Located in Peten (el mirador) region of Guatemala. Related to emergent lowland complexity. *Olmec Civilization: Predates the Aztecs by 2000 years. Around 400 BC, very complex Olmec sites begin to emerge. Ideology of a ruling class began to spread, and their influence in the future affected the early Maya.

Aguada

*Man-made reservoirs (normally adapted from bajos) or natural ponds, known as aguadas, could be a low technology, sustainable solution for communities living in the ancient Maya landscape today.

Sihyaj K'ahk'

*On all the different stelae that record the 11Eb, there is one constant glyph that talks about a character called Siyah k'ak, otherwise known as Smoke Frog, Smoking Frog or, according to Stuart, Fire is Born. *He is depicted as a protagonist in the recorded stories and is believed to be a warrior that conquered and ruled over Uaxactún. He arrived in Tikal with Yax Nuun Ayiin and the two men seem to be closely associated. The ascension date of Yax Nuun Ayiin is recorded on Stela 4 and the glyph "lord of" follows his name, followed by Smoke Frog's name. The "Lord of" glyph usually expresses a hierarchical relationship between two rulers. In this case, it appears that Smoke Frog is in some way superior to Yax Nuun Ayiin at the time of his ascension.

Yuri Knorosov

*Said that Thompson was wrong and that he had come up with a linguistics based way of interpreting hieroglyphs. *Thought that Maya glyphs were phonetic (each glyph represented a syllable or letter) *Used Diego de Landa's alphabet - Very correct but not perfect

La Venta

*San Lorenzo declines rapidly and La Venta becomes the new preeminent Olmec center. Pyramid in the center. The site is on top of oil - annoying today because the site is always under construction - they want the oil underneath. It has been preserved though. *Olmec site - Pyramids, plazas, palaces—one massive pyramid in particular. "Massive offerings," lots of greenstone

Bajos

*Surface bodies of water that were considered sacred. *Seasonal Wetlands where ancient farming practices were implemented.

Olmec Civilization

*The "Olmec" civilization is considered the first in Mesoamerica - This is the civilization with the motif "were-jaguar" and "fire-serpent" *Olmec had more pronounced social stratification and political centralization (seen in stone monuments, platforms and portable objects). Their styles and traits reflect specific religious beliefs and elite ideologies which spread in a wide area, influencing surrounding groups. *Major centers for the Olmec: San Lorenzo - main Maya center (around 1400 BC)

Key Points on the Earliest Maya

*The Maya did not emerge in isolation - key influences come from the Pacific and southern Gulf Coasts *San Lorenzo and La Venta were important Olmec centers in Mesoamerica *The emergence of social inequality appears in the Maya highlands between 1000-500 BC at sites like Kaminaljuyu and Naranjo *The Maya lowlands were some of the latest occupied regions of Mesoamerica *Important continuities and disjunctions with Olmec culture emerge at numerous lowland Maya sites during the Middle Preclassic Period

Peten

*The Mayan word for "flat region". *Southern Lowlands where much of the jungle exists. During the Late Preclassic and Classic periods of pre-Columbian Mesoamerican chronology, many major centers of the Maya civilization flourished, such as Tikal and Calakmul. A distinctive Petén-style of Maya architecture and inscriptions arose. The archaeological sites La Sufricaya and Holmul are also located in this region.

J. Eric S. Thompson

*The leading voice in the study of Maya hieroglyphs. He believed non-calendrical text was related to divination and that we would never be able to decipher them. *Considered "Dean of Maya History". Was ultimately wrong about hieroglyphics (thought they were all pictographs), but that's okay, we all make mistakes.

E-Groups

*Unique architectural complexes found among a number of ancient Maya settlements. *Serve as astronomical observatories, alignment of these structures corresponds to the sun's solstices and equinoxes. *Named after "Group E" found at Uaxactun. *Usually one period on the western side that faces a central structure. E-Group complexes (became a prominent form of architecture). They represent the first, uniform monumental compounds in the maya lowlands and, very loosely, may reflect a new ideology related to hierarchical social order.

Popol Vuh

*Written in Kiche Mayan on one side, Spanish on the other. Tells the Maya story of creation (for one Maya group). (Pre Columbian creation story). *It tells the story of the hero twins and conquering of the world. Created people with maize to build a civilization. Has the lineage of the Quiche lords. *Explains many of the stories throughout Mesoamerica. Illustrates a boy blow gunning a bird, which can be explained by the Popol Vuh. *Popol Vuh's prominent features are its creation myth, it's diluvian suggestion, it's epic tales of the Hero Twins Hunahpú and Xbalanqué, and its genealogies. The myth begins with the exploits of anthropomorphic ancestors and concludes with a regnal genealogy, perhaps as an assertion of rule by divine right. *The hero twins became the sun and moon after their trials.

David Stuart

*Youngest recipient of MacArthur Genius Fellowship *Introduced the internalist and externalist perspectives *Considered the world leader in Maya deciphership

Chert

-a hard, dark, opaque rock -Deposits of chert and flint occurred in limestone bedrock of the Maya lowlands -- in particular around swamps called bajos --, and it is these sources that the ancient Maya used. -used to make scrapping tools, chopping tools and cutting tools as well as items that royal people used.

Epi-Olmec Script

A Tuxtla statuette script. There's glyphs in the script, which shows some number sequence. This number sequence is a long count, a type of calendar, which helps link Mesoamerican calendar to our calendar.

Caches

A concealed store of goods or valuables

Izapa

A site at where a Lidar survey was performed. It did not reveal as much information as expected. Izapa was famous for its monument tradition where the carving style is distinct from the rest. The stone is carved inward in such a way that the picture pops up. The monuments here also has some Olmec influence. Major themes of the monuments are the axis mundi and the principal bird deity which is associated with kingship.

talud-tablero

Defining architecture of Teotihuacan - Architectural feature with an alternating slope to step found on pyramids - signified the spread of the Teotihuacan influence

Stela

In the ancient world, a tall, commemorative monument that was often decorated -Used to depict history, kings, and religious figures

Teotihuacan

Major influence on Mayan art, architecture, they also did military conquests in the Maya area and influenced leadership at important sites like Tikal

Overlordship

Maya kings had rule over others. Not all kings were equal always. Only happened during certain periods of time

Codices

Maya texts, long strips of paper, many meters in length when unfolded, made of the pounded inner bark of certain trees; these texts helped analysts interpret Maya hieroglyphics on stelae.

Key Points on Maya Civilization

Much of what we know about the ancient Maya comes from our understanding of their material culture Architecture informs us on a number of topics ranging from socioeconomic differences to ideological information There is a wide range of Maya artifacts, each of which has its own specialists to analyze Maya burials tell us about ancient populations and individuals Caches are one of a number of types of "special finds" that elaborate our understanding of Maya ritual practice

Key Points on Maya Nobles

Nobility is a characteristic of many pre-industrial complex societies Nobles both strengthen and weaken the sociopolitical hierarchy Nobles can be characterized as curial or territorial, with some degree of overlap Maya nobles remain enigmatic because there are few details about them in the textual record Maya nobles had their own elaborate residences and archaeology highlights the difference in material culture between them and those of higher or lower status We are able to elucidate some of the roles of Maya nobles through titles in texts

Temples

Often the most important temples sat atop towering Maya pyramids, some of over two-hundred feet, such as that at El Mirador. The sanctuary on top commonly was heightened by a crest or roof comb. While recent discoveries point toward the extensive use of pyramids as tombs, the temples themselves seem to rarely, if ever, contain burials.

"Arrival of Strangers"

On 11 Eb - a significant political event occurred on "11Eb", or January 16, 378 C.E., that majorly changed the rulership in Tikal. The event on this date occurs immediately before the ascension of a new king in Tikal, Yax Nuun Ayiin (formerly referred to as Nun Yax Ayin). The earliest documented ruler of Tikal in the Early Classic was Chak Tok Ich'aak, otherwise known as Great Paw, Jaguar Paw or Great Misty Claw. The stelae indicate that right after Jaguar Paw "entered the water", which is a metaphor for death, foreigner Yax Nuun Ayiin, also known as Curl Nose or Curl Snout, rose to power. It is likely Jaguar Paw may have been killed that day by the foreign king or someone fighting for him. However, Yax Nuun Ayiin was not the son of the previous king Jaguar Paw. This is an unusual break in the customary father to son royal succession. So, where did he come from and why did he suddenly appear in Tikal?

Lake Miraflores

One of the largest lakes and sources of water. This dried up in the Late Preclassic during droughts that caused abandonment of main Maya cities. Kaminaljuyu was situated around it.

El Mirador

One of the main Maya Centers. Located north of Peten in Guatemala.

Triadic Complexes

Replaces the E-groups at around 300 BC. The triadic complex can be found in El Palmar and Cival. The function of the triadic complex is not known yet and they are not uniformed in their appearance. The main features that are usually present are the 3 pyramid in the structure.

Royal headband

Representative of royalty

Roles of the ajaw

Sacrificer Consumer Assembler of Wealth Dancer Intermediary with the gods Warrior

Curial nobles

Service nobles, these are nobles that are physically close to the king, and serve him and the royal family as record keepers, entertainers and even dress him.

Key Points on the Late Preclassic

The Preclassic Maya were heavily influenced by the contemporary Olmec, Epi-Olmec, and Izapan cultures Kaminaljuyu had a period of florescence in the highlands The Late Preclassic lowlands was a time of monumental architectural construction and population explosion Iconography becomes more common and more complex as belief systems began to crystallize The end of the Late Preclassic saw the abandonment of a number of prominent centers, paving the way for the emergence of Classic Period dyansties

Mundo Perdido

The lost world group located in Tikal. The pyramid at Tikal is also pretty massive in the size of the base. This is a classic example of a pre-classic temple which are large in base but does not have great height.

Ceramics

Used for a plethora of daily activities, such as the storage of food and beverages, ceramics were also a canvas of commemoration.

Obsidian

Used for weapons and blades

Copan Group 9N-8

a site with a bench that confirmed that a aj-k'uhuun lived here

K'atun

bakab = head of earth, K'atun = measure of time meaning how many decades has he lived in

Calendar Round

involved three time cycles of different durations that coexist with one another, combination of the 260 day calendar and the 365 calendar

Mano and Metate

hand-held part and stone basin, often trough-shaped...for grinding maize or other foods similar to mortar and pestle

Territorial nobles

they are the holders of far flung estates throughout a maya kingdom. They are the representatives of the king's will in outlying areas away from the capital however they did visit the court to curry favor, pursue ambition and advancement.

sajal

title for noble magnate, its a high level of prestige (almost royal), controlled rural settlements, often see these nobles in iconography in wardress/ as warriors. These descriptions come in the late pre-classic.

Jade

was reserved for kings and royalty - had massive religious significance