Mayan & Aztec Civilization
This is an excerpt from the paper...
Mayan civilization rose and fell over the course of 2,000 years. By the time of the European invasion of Central America, many Mayan cities had long been abandoned. Though the last Mayan outpost was not taken by the Spaniards until 1697, Mayan high culture had ended centuries earlier. The Aztec civilization was of more recent origin and reached its height in only a few centuries. The Aztec decline was the direct result of the Spanish conquest. Mayans and Aztecs had many cultural similarities, but they differed in fundamental areas such as the structure of the state and their relations with other peoples. The primary difference between them, however, is that the term Mayan refers to a large number of Maya-speaking peoples whose cultural and political cohesion "was quite extraordinary for any time or place."1 Despite the general cohesion of Mayan culture, however, scholars identify three specifics eras and three distinct geographical areas "which display great cultural differences."2 The Aztecs, on the other hand, were only one of a number of tribes who spoke the Nahua language, and their geographical range was far more limited than the Mayans'. Mayan history is usually divided into three long eras. The Preclassic, or Formative, Period extended from 600 B.C. to A.D. 300 and the rise of Mayan culture in this era was centered in the regions now known as Guatemala and Honduras. In the Classic Period, which went from A.D. 300 to A.D. 900, the Mayans "reached intellectua
. . .
ty of the larger group -- the patrilineage in Maya culture or the Aztec clan-grouping known as the calpulli.10
Though their city-state was ruled by a member of a royal family, the Aztecs actually had a semi-democratic system of governing. The state was divided into twenty calpulli, and each controlled a particular part of the city and was managed by a chief and an elected council of warriors. The representatives of these councils elected the ruler, called the Chief Speaker. This ruler was, at first, chosen from the best men in the tribe. Gradually, however, a royal family emerged and the calpulli would elect a member of that family to lead the state. The Chief Speaker was in absolute control, "combining in himself the offices of high priest, commanding general, and supreme judge."11
Mayans and Aztecs showed great similarity in their attitudes toward warfare and religion, which was intimately connected with war. As Coe puts it, "the Maya were obsessed with war."12 Among the Maya in the highlands to the west, there was almost constant conflict among tribes. In the east, in Yucatan, the various regions "were constantly battling with each other over boundaries and lineage honor."13 Though both groups fought in order to ga
. . .
Some common words found in the essay are:
City Aztecs, Aztecs Aztecs, Central America, Instead Aztecs, Maya Aztecs, Mayans Aztecs, Coe Maya, BC AD, York Atheneum, Gulf Mexico, mayan culture, 4th ed, aztec civilization, maya system, 600 bc ad, ed berkeley, intellectual artistic, america 4th, mayans reached, california press 1992, latin america, cortes conquest mexico, epic latin, spaniards cortes conquest, aztecs spaniards cortes,
Approximate Word count = 2024
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page)
More Essays on Mayan & Aztec Civilization
|
Customer Service
to Over
32,000 Professionally Written Papers!!!
