The Maya and Aztecs were the two greatest civilizations in Central America before the arrival of colonizers from the Old World. The Mayan Empire actually appeared before the Aztec and outlived it by several hundred years. Over the past two thousand years, she has experienced several major ups and downs that almost left a trace of her. But she is still alive and is reflected in the customs of the peoples who inhabit the Yucatan Peninsula.
We have collected 15 amazing, and sometimes creepy, facts that will surely help you get to know better the ancient culture of this mysterious people.
Although their civilization was almost completely destroyed, in many rural areas of Mexico and Guatemala, the Mayan culture and language persists with enviable obstinacy. This is who really cares about their roots.
At last count, about seven million descendants of the very Mayans still live on the Yucatan Peninsula.
The Colombian Maya took the physical characteristics of their children seriously and often wanted to improve them. Mothers pressed the boards to the foreheads of their offspring to smooth them. It was also customary to hang an object in front of the child's eyes in order to develop squint in the child - another feature that emphasizes a noble origin.
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Ancient Mayan medicine was actually quite advanced. They sutured wounds with human hair, filled teeth, and even made dentures.
Some Maya still practice blood sacrifices. But at least they gave up human sacrifices - now only chickens are used.
The Maya used pain relievers derived from natural ingredients both in religious rituals (as hallucinogens) and in medicine (as anesthesia).
Like the Aztecs, the Mayans were the gamblers of the Mesoamerican ball game. Playgrounds were found in all major cities of the empire. This game is often associated with the beheading of victims who were probably the players of the losing team. And the severed heads are then believed to have been used as balls.
Saunas and baths played an important role in Mayan culture. They believed that ablutions helped cleanse their souls of evil.
The ruins and pyramids that you often see in the pictures were photographed, most likely in Chichen Itza - one of the largest Mayan cities. It has only recently been bought by the government from a private owner.
Slaves, prisoners, and prisoners of war were painted blue and sometimes tortured to prepare for sacrifice. Then the victim was brought to the top of one of the pyramids, where they were shot with a hail of arrows, and if her heart still continued to beat, he was cut out of the chest by the priest of the temple. Sometimes the priest's assistants removed the skin from the victim, wrapped in which the main priest performed a ritual dance.
The Maya had a very advanced writing system and loved to use it so much that they left inscriptions wherever they could reach, including on the walls of buildings. Unfortunately, most of their records were lost during the Spanish conquests in the New World.
Like the Aztecs, the Maya never dealt with iron or steel. Their weapons were made from obsidian (volcanic glass) or volcanic rocks.
In addition to a flat forehead and squint, the Maya nobleman differed from the common people in the beak-like shape of the nose, which was achieved with the help of a special putty, and his teeth were inlaid with jade. Speaking of teeth: among aristocrats, it was fashionable to sharpen their teeth.
The Maya may have become the first civilization to use the digit 0 as a serial number. Subsequently, Indian mathematicians first used it as a mathematical value in their calculations.
No one knows exactly why the Mayan Empire fell. Scientists offer several hypotheses to choose from - from drought and total hunger to overpopulation and climate change.