The Mayans of Mesoamerica Essay -- essays research papers fc

The Mayans of MesoamericaThe ancient Mayans were a real well developed society with a very completed calendar, skilled architects, artisans, extensive traders and hunters. They are known to have developed music and astronomy as well. All of this was developed while the Europeans were still in the Dark Ages. Their empire covered an scene of action of roughly 400,000 to 500,000 square kilometers. This area included the present day countries of Belize, Guatemala, western Honduras and El Salvador, and also southern portions of Mexico. These lands have a very diverse terrain, from the mountainous highlands to the tropical lowlands. The coarse range of geographical features meant that the Mayans food sources varied depending on their location. The Mayan hunters pursued cosmic game like jaguars, wild boars, and snow leopards as well as small game like hares, rabbits, and squirrels. The three animals that seem to be the close to prevalent in Mayan writings are the deer, iguana, and the quetzal bird. This has led archeologists to call up that these animals must have been more than just a food source. It is believed that the quetzal bird was not killed but only captured. While it was captured, they would pluck the feathers from it because they were considered very valuable. The Maya viewed hunting as more than just a food source, uniform to the other native peoples we have studied. They had certain rituals t...