Maya, an ancient Indian living in Central America, was born in 3 1 13 BC and disappeared mysteriously around 750 AD.
Maya lived in the center of Central America, spanning parts of Guatemala, Behles, Mexico, Honduras and El Salvador. They are centered on three isolated areas-the southern highlands of Abbas and Guatemala Plateau, the humid coastal plains of the Pacific Ocean and western El Salvador, and the Gulf of Mexico extending to Behles and Hongdu. The main population is concentrated in the low-lying areas of Peté n Province and Yucatan in Guatemala today.
/kloc-in the 6th century, when the Spanish invaded Central and South America, they burned all the ancient Mayan cultural relics and holy books preserved by the Aztecs, the successors of Mayan civilization. It also brought diseases such as smallpox and tuberculosis to the Maya, and two Catholic priests completely destroyed the Mayan civilization. The bishop of Spain at that time could not tolerate Maya's unbelief in Christianity. So collect all the sacred books in the hands of the gods and burn them all with fire. Many precious books recording Mayan civilization have since disappeared. Fortunately, there are still some rare books that have not been burned or recorded by generations.
The Mayan Bible "Popol vuh" is not only a book about divination, but also refers to the prophet's prediction that the gods of the heavens have supreme wisdom and magical power to know everything in the world. They know when there will be war, death and famine, and discuss the present situation and future of mankind. Ancient civilizations recorded their symbols on the gods, allowing future generations to explore the major accidents that happened thousands of years ago through the process of theological interpretation.
These secrets are hidden in buildings, sculptures, paintings, jewels and mathematical systems invented by them with passwords, and they are preserved and passed on to future generations.
The realm of Mayan civilization
Maya civilization cannot represent all Indian civilizations. If the civilization formed by Indians who use more than 250 dialects in America is compared to a tree, the Mayan civilization is like a branch of a tree, but it grows more densely. Its breeding ground is centered on the northern plateau of Guatemala (Peten), including southeastern and southern Mexico, Belize, Honduras and El Salvador. According to the geographical distribution, historian eric thompson divided the Mayan culture into three regions: north, middle and south. The central region, including the humid tropical rain forests in northern Guatemala, Belize and northwestern Honduras, is the center of Mayan civilization in the classical period. The northern region includes the north of north latitude 18.5 degrees and Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, which is a region with little rain and shrubs. The southern region, including central and southern Guatemala to the Pacific coast, El Salvador and other places, is a mountainous area with relatively backward civilization development.
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The origin of the Mayans
The Maya Civilization Exhibition will be officially held in May under the vigorous planning of the National Museum of History. From the cultural relics on display, people will appreciate the splendid world created by the Mayans in America.
Recently, Maya civilization has been listed as one of the five ancient civilizations in the world, and it is often mentioned by archaeologists, anthropologists and historians. However, Mayan civilization has been neglected for a long time because of ruthless distortion and ravage. American Indians moved from Asia and occupied North and South America for 20,000 to 30,000 years or even longer. Columbus sailed to Watling Island in Bahamas on 1492 10/2. When he boarded the main beach, there were many young, strong and handsome aborigines with broad foreheads, straight black hair and naked bodies, but they were all decorated with bright colors. He thought he had sailed to India and regarded the natives as Indians, so he called them Indians, that is, "Indians." Spain, which supported Columbus' voyage, insisted on discovering the new continent. In fact, Columbus sailed four times, only once in the Caribbean, and did not set foot on the American continent. Residents have existed in the New World for a long time. Why did you find them? Especially unfortunately, the Spanish conquered America, plundered gold and silver treasures, plundered and killed, and even looted Mayan books, which were burned in one fell swoop, making the Mayan civilization suddenly frustrated and losing ground, which was the greatest loss of ancient American civilization.
The classical period before Maya civilization-Omega civilization
Due to the lack of written records, when did the Mayans move to Central America? Many archaeologists and anthropologists are afraid to draw conclusions. According to research, there were Indian footprints on the Mexican plateau about 1 10,000 years ago. Tepaxpan people discovered by archaeologists in Tepexpan, near Mexico City, have lived there since 1 1000 BC. Their figure is similar to that of the Indians in the Brazilian Amazon today, that is, they are similar to the typical Mongols. These ancestors learned how to eat agricultural products by hunting around 6700 BC. From the stone tools found, such as stone axe, stone mill, stone mortar and stone pestle, we can infer the changes of their lives. Around 5000 BC, he began to settle down and farm, planting jade, pumpkin, beans, peppers, cotton and other crops. Around 3000 BC, tribes formed and settled in the narrow Tehuakan Valley. There were pottery around 2500 BC, and there was a complicated life around 1500 BC. Religious ceremonies were formed and idols appeared. By 850 BC, with hybrid corn, they understood irrigation and began to build temples, and their civilization developed and extended to the surrounding areas. According to Mayan legend, Mayan ancestors drifted from the sea to the southwest of the Gulf of Mexico. These ancestors lived in Veracruz and south of Campeche in the Gulf of Mexico. About 400 BC, influenced by the civilization bred by the narrow valley of Dehua Gan, they formed the country, that is, the country of rubber (because rubber trees are produced in this area). According to legend, Ou Man is a place of sunrise, a country of flowers, full of wealth and rich emeralds. According to the legend of the ancient Maya, it is also known as the land of the rain god (Tlalocan), which is rainy and humid and conducive to farming. The culture it forms is called Omega civilization. Ou Man has built six huge temples, five stone monuments, a big funeral home and a sarcophagus in Lavanta, which seems to have a strong religious ceremony atmosphere. Many experts and scholars who study American Indian culture believe that Omega civilization is the mother of various civilizations in Central America, and its growth and development have influenced the formation of Mayan civilization. In the ruins of the temple in Oshatun, Guatemala, there is a huge head statue, similar to that of Rabenda. Mayan calendars and digital prototypes can also be found in Omega civilization, and jade and gem ornaments belonging to Omega civilization are also deeply loved by Maya. Maya civilization was born in a giant civilization and has been affirmed by ordinary historians.
Maya people belonging to the Mayan civilization. There are mainly six dialects, namely Huaxtecas, Maya, Quiche, Cachiquel, Mame, Tzendal and so on. Among them, Huaxtecas is far away and scattered in Veracruz and San Luis Potosi, Mexico. According to research, in ancient times, Maya ancestors migrated from north to south in the Gulf of Mexico and settled in the Gulf of Mexico for a long time. Later, after the level of civilization improved, it gradually moved into Yucatan Peninsula, the northern plateau of Guatemala and the south-central part. According to the research of Guatemalan historians, from about 1500 BC to 150 AD, the Guiche Maya developed agriculture in Guatemala and gradually formed villages. After the rise of religions, they became big communities and cultural centers, and the Yttrium period was the formation period of Mayan civilization.
The classical period of Mayan civilization
In his book The Rise and Fall of Mayan Civilization, Thompson described the period from 325 to 925 as the classical period of Mayan civilization. These 600 years were the golden age of Mayan civilization, and the ancient civilization of the United States created the most colorful civilization in other parts of the United States. The Beden area in the northern plateau of Guatemala is the birthplace of the classical period. Around Baden Lake, a basin suitable for farming has been formed. The Mayans built towns in Baden and nearby Tikal and Uaktun, and developed to the marginal areas, extending to Yucatan Peninsula, Belize and western Honduras. Every town is ruled by nobles and priests, each with its own laws, and trades in fabrics, pottery, sculptures and other products, which seem to conflict with each other in the traces of war. In the town, the Mayans built temples, monuments, stadiums, streets and so on. , has been discovered by people. Many of them hid in the tropical rain forest, but they were not found because of the towering trees and dense roads.
Among the Mayan cultural relics that have been unearthed and verified, the oldest one is the jade carving found in barrios, Guatemala. Mayan cultural relics record the year 320. The Mayans often set up stone tablets to record events, and carved the age on the stone tablets. The stone tablet of Washatun site was erected in 328 AD, and what is recorded in the site of Red Dulles Copan is equivalent to 465 AD. The calakmul stone tablet in northern Ducal is recorded in 5 14 AD, the Nahtun site in 524 AD, the Okhintok stone tablet in Yucatan Peninsula in 475 AD, and the stone tablet in Yucatan Peninsula has 19 pieces in 790 AD, 3 pieces in 889 AD and 900 AD.
Maya society centered on towns. In the golden age, the Mayans established the largest city of Ducal. At present, the site area that has been discovered and sorted out is 20 square kilometers. There are six temples in each community, and five communities are connected by Stone Avenue. If the surrounding areas are included, the United States has an area of more than 60 square kilometers and more than 3,000 buildings, which was the center of trade, culture and religion at that time. The tallest temple is 75 meters high. It's spectacular. According to the research of engineers, it is even bigger than the Empire State Building in New York, which was built in modern times, because there were no tools for progress at that time, and such a huge building could be built with big stones. At that time, the city had about100000 residents. Keban, Honduras is also a big city, which was the astronomical center at that time. Its architecture is similar to that of Tikal, and there is a temple around the square, in which stone tablets and stone carvings are erected. A trained priest is proficient in astrology. One of the most beautiful temples is named "Venus", which can accurately calculate the dates of solar and lunar eclipses. The Mayan religious calendar was developed by the training class. Varatu is an early religious center with a spacious square. palenque is also an important city with excellent shrines, stone tablets and reliefs. There are many other small towns around Baden, and chichen itza, Smal, Thuram and Samar have also been established in Yucatan Peninsula.
The essence of Mayan civilization
American Indians, in the process of civilization evolution, made slow progress. Until the end of Mayan civilization, iron was still not found. They didn't know how to use wheels, so they didn't have cars. Except the Incas in northern Argentina and Peru, they don't know how to use pack animals instead of walking, and they don't know how to use plows. There are no written records of other Indians except the Maya who invented hieroglyphics. Although copper has been found, it is only used for decoration, not for bronze. They still stayed in the Stone Age, using stone tools, animal bones and wooden hoes. Even if the conditions were so backward, the Mayans created dazzling civilization.
The most amazing thing about Mayan civilization is the invention of an accurate calendar. The religious calendar is called "Zorkin", which is divided into 13 months every year, and each month has 20 days. Its recording method is that "day" uses 20 different images, each representing a god, with numbers in front and days behind. The solar calendar is called "Habez", and a year is divided into 18 months and 5 days, 20 days in each month and 365 days in a year. The day is called Jin, the month is called Wuina, the year of Wuina is called Tun, the year of Katun is called Batun, and the twenty Batun are called Pitun. /kloc-after the end of the 0/8 month solar calendar, the Mayans thought it was an unlucky day and stopped all activities to avoid bad luck. Every 52 years, the solar calendar becomes a cycle, which the Mayans thought was a great event. At the end of each cycle, 13 days will be added to the next solar calendar, which is equivalent to 365 days and one quarter of a day in a year. Therefore, the accuracy of Mayan solar calendar is far better than that of China's commercial calendar and western Roman calendar, and its error will accumulate once every 37,440 years, with a difference of one day at the beginning. The Mayans were very proficient in astrology. In addition, the Mayans had a Venus calendar, which lasted 584 days, and the actual errors were only (χ, χ, χ, χ, χ, χ, χ, χ, χ, χ, χ, χ, χ.
In order to calculate, Maya invented decimal arithmetic with ten fingers and ten toes, and had the concept of "zero". Numbers are represented by hieroglyphs, and "○" is represented by shells? Form stands for "one", three points for "three", one horizontal line for "five", two horizontal lines for "ten" and three horizontal lines plus three points for "eighteen". The Mayans recorded it in the decimal method on the remains stone tablet, and erected a stone tablet to commemorate it every 20 years.
Maya is the only American Indian who invented pictographs. Like Chinese, they created pictographs with monosyllabic pronunciation by using natural shapes, combining the meaning (Mayan Sib) and pictophonetic characters (Mayan Nooh). Paper is made of fig bark, recorded in long paper, and folded in the way of origami fans in China, with a delicate cover. Maya recorded the deeds of westerners for thousands of years. Unfortunately, after Columbus discovered the New World, Spanish explorers came one after another at the beginning of the16th century, burning and looting, and wantonly burning Mayan chronicles. Ralph Linton described in detail 1562 Diego de Landa, Bishop of Merida, Canadian Peninsula, in his book The Tree of Culture. Hundreds of books on Mayan astronomy, history and technology were collected and set on fire in Merida Square. Among the three existing books, Dresden Codex is a book that records astronomical calendars and was sent back to Europe as an antique. Another book, Codex Tro-Tro-Cortesianess, is a manual for recording the astrology of clergy, which is now in the Archaeological History Museum in Madrid. Another book, Perspective of the Code, is incomplete and is now in the National Library of Paris. The stupidity and atrocities of Spanish conquerors, especially the religious beliefs and customs of clergy, can not be accommodated in the beliefs and customs of believers, which burned down the achievements recorded by the Maya for thousands of years in one fell swoop and led to the complete retrogression of Mayan civilization, which is nothing more than a disaster for mankind. Although in the16th century, the Maya who were educated by Spanish clergy wrote their myths and legends in Mayan sounds and Latin letters, some of them contained the true history of the noble deeds of chiefs. With Kieran Balaam as the title, there are three volumes of Mani, Ziming and Chumayele, and the other volume, Popper Wu, regarded as the sacred book of Kiche, contains many Mayan myths. Because Mayan characters are only primary, polysemy, hieroglyphics are not unified, and the sound and meaning can be expressed in different ways, so far, only a quarter of the characters have been deciphered and readable, and three quarters remain to be studied by the world.
Mayan pyramids and temples are also miracles, as beautiful as Egyptian pyramids. They used coarse stones and mud as a core, and carved stones were used outside, but because arches could not be used, there was no dome-shaped building. Cities, shrines, stone tablets and buildings are all skillful in composition, layout and angle. There are often memorial sculptures or heroic statues on the front of the palace, among which the buildings in palenque are primitive. At the end of the classical period, the architecture of Yucatan Peninsula tends to be solid and will not be left unadorned, but the stone patterns on the upper floor include geometric lines, portraits, animals and statues, which are integrated with the Toltec culture in the north. The remains of Tikal, Keban and Chiqianisa all show the genius of Maya.
The painting and modeling of Mayan pottery can grasp the beauty of modeling. Mayans like colors, even if all four directions are represented by colors, the east is red, the west is black, the north is white and the south is yellow. The shape and style of pottery changed with different periods. Painted pottery in the classical period was mostly red, orange, yellow, black, white and light yellow. Generally speaking, the painted pottery in the classical period was fine and beautiful, but at the end of the classical period, it declined and the colors were not as beautiful as before, so the planning was hasty. In terms of sculpture, stone color is the main color. Whether it is the stone tablets in temples, palaces and squares, or the tombstones in stone seats and cemeteries, there are carvings with thick and soft lines. At the end of the classical period, there were many decorative carvings on the eaves and walls of buildings in Yucatan area, including human heads, animals and gods.
The decline of Mayan civilization
The invasion of Spain in 925 AD was a classical period after the Mayan civilization. Thompson divided it into a blank period from 925 to 1975; The period of the Tordek civilization's invasion of Mexico was 1290 to 1290. 1290- 15490 The popularity of Mayan language was the assimilation period of the decline of Mayan civilization. Mayan civilization reached its peak in the seventh and eighth centuries, but since the ninth century, Mayan civilization has mysteriously disappeared from the central region. Goban was abandoned in 8 ο AD, Diga was abandoned in 869, and Wushatun became an empty city in 889. In this way, the Mayans gave up one city after another, entered the mountains, and moved to Yucatan Peninsula and southern Guatemala. What is the reason why Maya want to give up the city that has been running for generations and escape into the jungle?
Some experts believe that in the early 9th century, Maya people in central Guatemala, with an area of 45,000 square kilometers and a population of more than 300,000, moved to other places because of digging through agriculture, and the surface was washed away by rain and humus soil was lost. Some scholars believe that the land is washed away by rain, and the humus soil on the slope is lost because the lakes in Beden area have become swamps, overgrown with weeds, and malaria mosquitoes are rampant and moved away; Thompson believes that the Maya who didn't know how to use unicycles and animals rebelled and moved away because the priests forced them to build new temples and made the countryside barren. Thompson believes that the Maya, who didn't know how to use unicycles and pack animals, rebelled and moved away because the priests forced them to build new temples, making the countryside barren; Some scholars believe that in order to maintain their power, priests lead believers to migrate to distant and developed places. However, the statement that the surface has become barren is not completely in line with the facts. The two cities of Wusu Masinta and Montagua, which were abandoned at the same time in the Peten area of Gaixing, are not short of water, and the humus on the surface has not been lost. If it is impossible to say that it may become barren because of overgrown weeds, then why abandon the city since the land is still fertile? Kidd is the author of Ancient Mayan Art. He thinks that earthquakes, infectious diseases and climate change will not be the reasons. If the earthquake is damaged, the pyramids, temples, palaces and other buildings in the whole area will be knocked down, but so far there is no such phenomenon; If it is a disease or a plague, there is no endemic plague in Central America except the infectious diseases brought by the invading whites. For example, because of climate change, people have moved away, but in view of the long-term prosperity of local eugenic rubber trees, there should be no major climate change; Some scholars believe that it is because of the invasion of outsiders such as Wusu Maxinta, Piedras Negras and Palenge, which are adjacent to Mexico, because of the turmoil; Some scholars believe that lightning may have caused forest fires and abandoned the city. No matter how experts judge, no one has reached a conclusion so far.
The Mayans were far from home. During the 5th and 7th centuries, many Mayans moved to Yucatan Peninsula, and successively established cities such as Durham, Issama, Maya State, Uma and West Issa. Ithama, a creek with the meaning of "Jing Quan of Issa", has become a big city and a political, cultural, economic and religious center. Maya state and Itama formed a confederation, and established their own doors, which promoted the revival of Mayan civilization. However, since the 0/0th century AD, ITZA) from the north, that is, Ku Courquin people, gradually invaded, and spread in Mayan legends, saying that they came from the hometown of flying snakes, and their leader had a beard and was the embodiment of God, a priest and a hero. Ku Courquin people were called Quetzacoatl. The Issa people brought the religion, customs and culture of Baldek. The Mayans, like the ancient Greeks, had a high degree of civilization, but they were still limited to a poor degree of civilization, but they had the same fate as the Roman Empire with military talent and organization. Therefore, the Maya society, religion and culture changed, advocating humane religion and being forced to start offering people as sacrifices to the gods. There have been very few Mayans fighting with each other, and the States began to fight. Ku·Ku· Khan was stationed in Issa City, Quanyuan, and became a power center. Maya, like the Five Chaos in China, was influenced by foreign culture on the one hand, but assimilated the Hu people on the other hand, forming an inclusive civilization. Maya's language and religious culture assimilated Issa, but the level of civilization declined. In sculpture, pottery, hieroglyphics and descriptions, it is much worse than in classical times, and only in architecture, including the shape, decorative composition and firmness of pyramids, it has made a slight progress. Just as the Greeks passed on their superior civilization to the Romans, the Mayans also passed on their own civilization to the Baldek people, which promoted the sublimation of Baldek civilization. By AD 1200, the influence of Xiquan Issa declined and the Confederacy disintegrated. Hunac Ceal, the leader of the Mayan state, won the support of the Seldek people and gained the leadership, so the Mayan state ruled the Maya for 200 years. By A.D. 144 1 year, the liberator named Xu Pan United the towns under the jurisdiction of Maya State, overthrew the rule of Maya State, and returned the sovereignty of the towns to the local chiefs. The Mayans were ready for liberation, and the free city rose again, but the post-classical civilization came to an end, because the Mayans did not build large temples and pyramids, nor did they build roads. The original road was gradually in disrepair, and the sculpture regressed. Only the Geldek people's military consciousness increased. 15 19, Hernan Cortes sailed to bay of campeche in Yucatan Peninsula and sailed north to conquer Mexico. The Mayans in Yucatan Peninsula were also conquered by the Spanish in 1546. Since then, the Mayans have become victims of European civilization. Smallpox, a disease brought by the civilized world, swept the Yucatan Peninsula, and the defenseless Maya suffered an unprecedented disaster.