Summary

This document is a study guide for an exam in Anthropology, specifically focusing on the Mayan civilization. It covers various locations like Dos Pilas, Ceren, San Andres, and their significance to insights into daily life, ceremonials, and warfare. It also details the impact of Spanish conquest, and modern history. The study guide covers themes like urban development, collapse theories, and notable figures related to the history and culture of the Maya.

Full Transcript

**ANTH 1140 - Exam 3 Study Guide** **Key Places to Study** - **Dos Pilas**: Site of Classic Maya civilization; known for its role in endemic warfare and political dynamics. - **Ceren**: A well-preserved Maya village buried by volcanic ash; provides insights into daily life. - **San...

**ANTH 1140 - Exam 3 Study Guide** **Key Places to Study** - **Dos Pilas**: Site of Classic Maya civilization; known for its role in endemic warfare and political dynamics. - **Ceren**: A well-preserved Maya village buried by volcanic ash; provides insights into daily life. - **San Andres**: Important ceremonial center with evidence of early Maya rituals. - **Copan**: Renowned for Altar Q and stelae detailing dynastic history. - **Quirigua**: Known for its massive stelae and connection to Copan. - **Bonampak**: Famous for murals depicting Maya warfare and rituals. - **Aguateca & Punta de Chimino**: Fortified sites reflecting military strategies. - **Ceibal**: A significant Terminal Classic site. - **Uxmal**: Exemplary Puuc architectural style. - **Chichen Itza**: Central site during the Postclassic, featuring the Great Ballcourt, Temple of the Warriors, and Caracol. - **Tula**: Toltec influence on Chichen Itza. - **Mayapan**: Postclassic political and cultural hub of the League of Mayapan. - **Tulum**: Coastal Postclassic site with trade connections. - **Tayasal**: Last independent Maya city, conquered in 1697. - **Quetzaltenango**: Colonial-era hub in the Guatemalan Highlands. - **Q'umarkaj**: K\'iche\' Maya capital; destroyed during Spanish conquest. - **Dos Erres**: Site of civil war massacre, central to modern Maya history. **Significant Buildings, Events, and Deposits** - **Popol Nah**: Maya council house; varied across time and regions. - **Altar Q & Altar L at Copan**: Commemorate dynastic successions. - **Chilam Balam**: Post-conquest Maya texts blending indigenous and colonial narratives. - **Palace of the Governors**: Architectural masterpiece at Uxmal. - **El Castillo & Caracol**: Astronomical and ceremonial significance at Chichen Itza. - **Great Ballcourt**: Largest Maya ballcourt; symbolic of power and cosmology. - **Temple of the Warriors & Tzompantli**: Highlights militaristic and ritualistic themes. - **Treaty of Tordesillas**: Divided New World territories between Spain and Portugal. - **Conquests**: - **Tenochtitlan**: Key Spanish victory over the Aztecs. - **Guatemala**: Pedro de Alvarado's brutal campaigns. - **Yucatan Caste War**: Indigenous Maya resistance to colonial systems. - **Operation PBSUCCESS**: U.S.-backed coup in Guatemala (1954). - **Guatemalan Civil War**: Devastating internal conflict; legacy of inequality and displacement. **Concepts and Ideas** **Urbanism:** - Defined by centralized planning, monumental architecture, and social stratification. - **Top-down vs. Bottom-up models**: Centralized vs. community-led urban development. **Collapse Theories:** - **Environmental degradation**: Overuse of resources. - **Endemic warfare**: Inter-city conflicts destabilized society. - **Drought hypothesis**: Supported by climatic and archaeological evidence. - **Malnutrition**: Evidenced by skeletal remains. **Postclassic Changes:** - **Puuc architecture**: Ornate, distinctive facades. - **Old vs. New Chichen Itza**: Shift from Maya to Toltec influence. - **Mutepal**: Council-based governance replacing divine kingship. **Spanish Conquest:** - **Goals**: Resource exploitation, religious conversion, political domination. - **Tactics**: Superior weaponry, alliances, and disease outbreaks. - **Encomienda system**: Forced labor in exchange for Christian instruction. **Modern History:** - **United Fruit Company**: Controlled Guatemalan land and politics. - **NAFTA and USMCA**: Economic agreements with regional impacts. - **Pseudoscience**: Misrepresentation of Maya culture in modern media. **Notable People** - **Maya Figures**: Yax Pac, U Cit Tok, Putuun, Itza, and Puuc peoples. - **Spanish Conquistadors**: Hernan Cortes, Pedro de Alvarado, Francisco de Montejo. - **Cultural Mediators**: Malinche (translator for Cortes). - **Colonial Critics**: Diego de Landa (chronicler) and Bartolome de las Casas (advocate for indigenous rights). - **Guatemalan Leaders**: - **Rafael Carrera**: 19th-century conservative leader. - **Jacobo Arbenz**: Overthrown during Operation PBSUCCESS. - **E. Rios Montt**: Military dictator, responsible for civil war atrocities. - **Rigoberta Menchu**: Indigenous rights advocate, Nobel laureate. **Media Resources** - **BBC Documentary**: *The Maya Collapse* (focus on collapse theories). - **Conquest of Tenochtitlan**: Illustrates Spanish strategies. - **Finding Oscar**: Explores the legacy of the Guatemalan Civil War. **Essay Topics (Short Answer Preparation)** 1. **Causes of the Late Classic Collapse**: - Environmental degradation (deforestation, soil exhaustion). - Warfare (inter-city conflict undermining stability). - Drought (climatic records and reduced water supply). - Societal response (malnutrition, population decline). 2. **Spanish Conquest**: - Goals: Wealth, land, religious conversions. - Methods: Alliances with indigenous groups, use of advanced weaponry, and diseases. - Effects: Political upheaval, cultural syncretism, and decline in Maya population. 3. **Guatemalan Civil War**: - Causes: Social inequality, Cold War dynamics. - Effects: Massacres, displacement, and ongoing struggles for indigenous rights.

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