...| Disappearance of the Mayan Civilization | | | Jerome A Brown Jr. | 2/4/2013 | | No one can say for certain what happened to the Mayan people, but theories abound and include varied possible alternatives to explain the abrupt and mysterious disappearance of the Mayan civilization. Many historians have questioned “how” or “why” the Mayan civilization disappeared after the 10th century; however there is no definitive answer to this question. One possible theory is the Mayan’s civilization grew to such an extent that they deforested so much of the region that it had significant climate changes, thereby forcing the Mayan people to immigrate to other regions (Server, 2004), this theory has some scientific background, and scientists have used satellites to study the topsoil of Central America. They found that right before the civilization collapse, the sediment had changed from tree pollen to weed pollen, suggesting there were no more trees in the area. The result of a treeless environment is the erosion of fertile topsoil, warmer climate, and a possible reduction of precipitation. Since the Mayans depended on water reservoirs from precipitation, this would have had a detrimental effect. Another theory surrounding the disappearance of the Mayan people is consistent droughts that took place preceding the tenth century and the reduction of civilization through various wars caused the Mayan civilization to dwindle down to virtual extinction...
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...The Mystery behind the End of Mayan Civilization Vanessa Espinoza Professor Perry World Cultures I Strayer University Mayan Mystery Civilizations all over, rose to become strong, powerful nations and descended due to many reasons. One civilization in particular, is the Mayans. The Mayan Empire began around 1800 B.C and lasted until around 900 A.D. Located in tropical environments, in what is now known as the Yucatan Peninsula, Guatemala, Belize and parts of México. The Mayan people were known for their advance levels of mathematics, astronomy, and they develop a calendar system based on 365 days that we use in present day. The Mayan people also created many elaborate cities with stoned pyramids that partially remain intact today. How can a great nation, who developed a complex system, and flourish for many centuries, just disappear; leaving many questions unanswered? What happened to the Mayans? This is one mystery that has many people asking questions about what happened to a large number of people without wondering if this could ever happen again. Two theories that could explain what happened to the Mayan people are: drought and climate changes lead to the demised of the Mayan culture, and/or warfare from neighboring cities or foreign invaders caused the Mayans to become extinct. Scientist Martin Medina-Elizalde and Eelco Rohling believe that the climate changes affected the rainfall causing droughts. Many others believe that invaders from other countries...
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...Disappearance of the Mayan Civilization The disappearance of the Mayan Civilization has always been a very interesting mystery to me. What happened to the Mayan people? This question has baffled many scientists, researchers, as well as historians since they disappeared of the face of the earth it seems. NASA-funded researchers believe that the Mayans themselves are responsible for their own extinction. The Mayans were supposedly a great culture that constructed pyramids and pavilions throughout Mesoamerica beginning around A.D.300 and disappearing around A.D. 900 (Harvey, D.A. 1977). By around A.D. 900, the Mayan civilization was in steep decline. New building stopped and the pyramids and ball courts were gradually abandoned to the jungle. Around this time the lowland population dropped by around 90 percent. There has been a lot of debate about what caused the collapse of the classic-era Mayan culture. Research by Stuart and Harvey (1977) suggests that the burdens of ritual warfare between city-states became too much or that a great epidemic decimated the population. Usually cultures will slowly become extinct as a result of numerous battles and many times from famine. However the Mayans simply disappeared as a culture. Researchers believe that Mayans were in harmony with their environment, but they made common mistakes as does most other cultures. Deforesting of the land and vegetation caused suffering for the Mayan people in that they could not find food and...
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...End of Mayan Civilization Samuel Nathaniel H. Stansbury HUM 111 11/3/2012 The mystery concerning the fundamental explanation for the collapse of the Mayan Civilization has been a major focus for researchers in the fields of anthropology and archeology for a considerable period of time. At the very core of this mystery of the Mayan collapse was the question of how could such a strong, stable civilization that had flourished for approximately twenty-seven hundred years disappear without a clear, rational explanation. As a result, researchers have put forth a large number of theories for the explanation of the collapse and subsequent decimation of the Mayan empire. Although it would be convenient or simple to put forth a theory concerning only one reasonable or rational factor explaining the collapse of the Mayan civilization, this would be both insufficient and impossible from a strictly theoretical standpoint. For example, Henry M. Sayre argues that by 900 A. D. (900 CE), Mayan civilization had been decimated as a result of not just one single factor, but, rather, as a result of a number of equally important factors. These factors included overpopulation and accompanying ecological degradation, political competition, and warfare (Sayre, 2012, p.392). Once again, it is essential to clearly articulate the fact that it is theoretically impossible to put forth only one single underlying factor in a theory offering a coherent explanation for the collapse of the Mayan civilization...
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...The Mystery behind the End of Mayan Civilization World Cultures I Mayan Mystery Civilizations all over, rose to become strong, powerful nations and descended due to many reasons. One civilization in particular, is the Mayans. The Mayan Empire began around 1800 B.C and lasted until around 900 A.D. Located in tropical environments, in what is now known as the Yucatan Peninsula, Guatemala, Belize and parts of México. The Mayan people were known for their advance levels of mathematics, astronomy, and they develop a calendar system based on 365 days that we use in present day. The Mayan people also created many elaborate cities with stoned pyramids that partially remain intact today. How can a great nation, who developed a complex system, and flourish for many centuries, just disappear; leaving many questions unanswered? What happened to the Mayans? This is one mystery that has many people asking questions about what happened to a large number of people without wondering if this could ever happen again. Two theories that could explain what happened to the Mayan people are: drought and climate changes lead to the demised of the Mayan culture, and/or warfare from neighboring cities or foreign invaders caused the Mayans to become extinct. Scientist Martin Medina-Elizalde and Eelco Rohling believe that the climate changes affected the rainfall causing droughts. Many others believe that invaders from other countries or cities over powered the Mayans. Climate changes If invaders...
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...1. Archaeologist Robert J. Sharer interprets the study of daily life on the ancient Maya civilization in his book “Daily Life In Maya Civilization”. According to Sharer, he describes how geography can be destructive: “People living in the southern highlands have always been plagued by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Although the Maya did not record these events, they are detectable from archaeological evidence. A massive volcanic eruption around A.D. 200 created a caldera (collapse basin) and Lake Ilopango, near San Salvador. This catastrophic eruption destroyed all life within 20-30 km of the eruption. The huge cloud of volcanic ash fell over a widespread area, rendering everything within about 100 km of the volcano uninhabitable for one or two centuries.” (PG. 16). In addition, Feudal Japan also faces this major physical feature as it is at risk for not only volcanoes, but also earthquakes and tsunamis. Hence, these appalling earthly features certainly brought disturbance to civilizations. 2....
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...In the Mayan Civilization there were many rulers that made significant contributions. However, there is one ruler that stands out: K'inich Janaab' Pakal. K'inich Janaab' Pakal is also known Pacal the Great or just Pacal (Schele 23). He was born in March of 603 CE under his father, K'an Mo' Hix, and his mother, Sak K'uk'. The three lived in Palenque, a small Mayan city that was rather weak during the time before K'inich Janaab' Pakal’s rule. The city is located in current day Chiapas, Mexico. (Aloysius 20). During 611 CE, the current king died, and K'inich Janaab' Pakal was supposed to be the next heir of the throne. However, it was decided that he was too young to rule. During the year following his death, other people took the throne, albeit...
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...Mayan , Aztecs , and Inca were influential in both the past and present. There's a lot of details to this topic and supporting details. All 3 were different and there civilization was different. Nobody had the same ideas. Here are some intersting facts about the Mayans , Aztecs , and Incas. Mayan civilization flourished in central america. Aztec society was strictly hierarchical , ruled over by a godlike emperor. Inca civilization was wiped out , but they left behind plenty of evidence of their achievements. The Mayan civilization first settled in the region as early as 1500 BC , growing maize and living in small argicultural communities. The Aztec had harsh rulers ; they demanded high tributes and were constantly fighting in order to keep up a study of captives to use as a human sacrifice. The Inca city was never known to the spanish invaders , but you can visit it today. The Mayan were never a empire. Although the cities shared the same culture ,...
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...Topics in Cultural Studies Brenda Johnson Unit 1 Discussion Board AIU Culture Makeup Ancient civilizations are the foundation of the world as we know it today, was built on ruins of 10,000 years of advanced cultures such as the Greek, Roman, Mesopotamia, Mayan, Indus, Egyptian. Ancient history began with the invention/communication of art and then writing in about 3100 BC and lasted for centuries. Natural environment was an influence that help with the makeup of early civilization; changes in the weather such as seasonal changes, changes in the weather was an influence on when they would go out to do there hunting and planting. Science and development of their knowledge in how to use new tools and how that knowledge helped with simplifying how they hunted, build, and planted. Trading brought about interaction between many different cultures. Agriculture made it possible to settle down in a permanent community and not to have to always be on the move hunting for food; once farming was developed mankind did not have to be on the move continuously; learning to control the production of food and to keep a good supply of food and cattle on hand then their lives started to changed dramatically and completely. Because of the cultural makeup social issues did come up; such as conflicts between groups of people who believed differently. Pros and Cons of Revisionist History Revisionist history is a reinterpretation of what we call facts or truth surrounding...
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...The American civilization and the African civilization are unique and powerful. While the African civilization and the American civilization have similarities like their reasons for decline and role of religion, they also have differences like their role of women and contact with other cultures. Mali, an African society, and Inca, an American society, had the same reasons for decline. Mali’s emperor and Inca’s king both dies and both of their sons could not keep the empires together. The African and American societies are different people would think but they are very similar. Religion is very important, but even when different societies believe in the same or are polytheistic or monotheistic they don't all do the same activities. Both African and American societies were both polytheistic. Shintoism is polytheistic like the American and African civilizations once were. African civilizations converted to Islam while the American civilizations stayed polytheistic. The African civilizations turned to monotheism like buddhism. Religion is very important and even though civilizations believe in the same god does not mean they can not convert to another religion or perform their beliefs in a different way. Women were not treated with the most respect. Both American and African civilizations treated women with respect but they were still considered lower than a man. Women can be educated in both African and American civilizations but women could also became a priestess. In...
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...Battuguldur Bilguun Travis Schill World History October 12, 2013 Early Civilizations From 10200 B.C to 400 AD was a timeline of Early Civilizations. Early Civilizations are divided into 3 main groups; The Neolithic Era, Bronze Age and Iron Age. They all had great accomplishments in agriculture, government, religion, and education. Every civilization had their own unique way of living. Many of our agriculture, inventions, and religion were practiced by them. We merely adopted their way of life. So we can say that Early Civilizations became fundamentals for our modern invention, agriculture and religion. Ancient people discovered the development of agriculture accidentally. Before finding agriculture, ancient people had a hunter-gatherer system where males go hunting and females and kids stay home and gather fruits or any other edible plants. Farming started from the Neolithic Era which involved the domestication of animals and plants. Increasing population was the number one reason people started to farm. Because they couldn’t feed all the hungry mouths just by hunting animals. They had to have a large population at that time because ancient people lived under constant dangers caused by other tribes. The people who first cultivated cereal grains have observed them in the wild while they were hunting or gathering and noticed the seeds fall. After sometime, they return to the same place to find a...
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...University of Phoenix Material Rehan, Kathleen & Tiffany Peoples of the Americas Matrix Describe the unique characteristics associated with the various early American civilizations displayed on the matrix in the areas of culture, religion, and government in the space provided. Also, give a brief explanation of each civilization’s territory and regional influence. | |Culture and Society |Religions / Philosophies |Government |Territory and Regional Impact | |Mayan |KNOW FOR SPECTACULAR ART, |Religion was characteristics by the|Mayans developed a hierarchical |Southern | | |SOPHISTICATED MATHEMATICSAND |worship of nature gods, sun, rain, |government ruled by priests |Central | | |ASTRONOMICAL SYSTEMS |and corn. |Lived independent in city and |Northern territories | | |ALSO IMPRESIVE ARCHETECHTURE. |A Priestly class |states. | | | | |Philosophy of numbers, orgin of the| | | | | |13 number system | | ...
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...Civilization is difficult to define in one word or phrase because a complex society or “civilization” depends on many different aspects. There are characteristics of a civilization that are more essential than others, some of which may be more important to one group than to another group. However, a definition for civilization can be narrowed down to a few fundamental aspects that are necessary for one to exist. For a complex society to exist, it must have means to provide for a growing population. Acquiring resources is vital for a civilization to flourish. The earliest civilizations all seemed to have a need for an organized administration system. In a society with a growing population and expanding territories, we can see the need for a hierarchical government to keep them operating. Civilization is the way of life that began by those who live in cities. Civilization comes from the word civis, which is a Latin word meaning citizen of a city. Civilization is characterized by everything that makes up the way of life in a city. This includes form of government, arts, customs, and technology. Civilization is similar to a culture except that civilization is more advanced and complex. Everyone has a culture but not everyone is in a civilization. The increase in agriculture and domestication of animals were major steps in civilization. This supported everyone in a small town. Trade was involved in which they exchanged grain, pottery, and various raw materials. Everything in the...
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...Hispanic thinkers to express the sense of racism in their works. In addition, Hispanic-American thought intellectuals rarely produce original profiles because there elements originate from the elements and motifs originally designed for the European thought. Meanwhile, philosophy and religion plays a critical role in ancient civilization, culture creation, and preservation in the sense that they not only bind, but also influence the societal structure, statutes, and personal lives. This paper documents the Mayan culture taking into consideration their civilization, ideologies, as well as their rituals. Civilization Factors contributing to culture creation and preservation extend from geographical to a number of patterns. The origin of the Mayan culture from the central part of America gives the perfect example of socio-cultural effects, which even after several years, continue to exist. The review of Mayan gods, as well as their conquest by the Spanish holds confirms that religious factors ensure that the culture of the Mayan continues to thrive despite the influence by foreigners and the oppositions the Mayans faced. Meanwhile, the Mayans’ mathematical and astronomical advances were far much ahead of the Ancient Romans. They had their own developed numeric system, boasting to be one of the first to formulate the zero concept way before the Greeks....
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...Happened to the Mayan Civilization Abstract This essay explores two possibilities or theories, as to why the Mayan civilization eventually collapsed. While many theories surround this phenomenon, there is no distinct conclusion as to what exactly happened to the Mayan culture. However, archeologists have been able to attain some evidence, which has aided them to an approximation of time as to when the Mayan culture began its collapse or downfall. As the Mayan culture settled in an area where most human civilizations would normally find unsuitable or inhabitable, the Mayan people found ingenious ways to survive this harsh environment, and eventually prosper for many centuries. Unfortunately, as this rapidly growing culture became more advanced and powerful, struggle for more power and resources from different city-states caused the Mayans to frequently and viciously go to war with each other. Self destruction- a high probability! On the other hand, as the environment suffered a long period of drought, the absence of water supply hindered the Mayans to the basic necessities of life. With basic resources running low (especially lack of water supply), one can see why the Mayans warred among themselves, which would eventually cause their own extinction, and furthermore, why famine became so widespread. This is why these two particular theories regarding the collapse of the Mayan civilization are the most compelling to me. What Happened To The Mayan Civilization Warmongering and...
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