Study Guide 2 Anth 112 PDF

### How Did the Ancient Maya Create Sociality and Behave Socially? - Religiosity: approach to life in which the line between ritual and every day actions could be difficult to draw - Societies predicated on a sense of responsibility to gods, kith and...

### How Did the Ancient Maya Create Sociality and Behave Socially? - Religiosity: approach to life in which the line between ritual and every day actions could be difficult to draw - Societies predicated on a sense of responsibility to gods, kith and kin, living and dead - Honor existing in larger group identities, depictions of degradation of one’s honor in Maya art **Introduction** **What is Mesoamerica?** - **Middle America:** Includes **Mexico**, **Belize**, **Guatemala**, and **Western Honduras**. **Mesoamerican Shared Cultural Traits:** - **Irrigation:** Utilized small rivers/lakes instead of river valleys. - **Tools:** No metal tools; relied on **flintknapping**. - **Labor:** Used manpower instead of beasts of burden. - **Transport:** No wheels in everyday life. **Geography:** - **Altitude and Temperature Variations:** Mesoamerica has **highlands** and **lowlands** including: - **Tierra Caliente:** Hot lowlands. - **Tierra Temperada:** Temperate zone. - **Tierra Fria:** Cold highlands. **Agriculture:** - **Crop Rotation:** Primarily grew **corn, squash, and beans** to maintain soil fertility (beans add nitrogen). - **Origins of Maize:** - Began as **teosinte**, modified for nutrition. - Not a staple in early Maya diets. - **Nixtamalization:** Process of adding **lime powder** to corn to enhance nutritional value, essential for making **tortillas** and **tamales**. ### Maya Geography **Location:** - **Mexico**, **Guatemala**, **Belize**, **Western Honduras**. **Northern Lowlands:** - **Characteristics:** Dry, limestone surface, few rivers/lakes. - **Cenote (tz’onot):** Natural sinkhole for water storage. - **Chultun:** Underground chamber for water storage. - **Agricultural Practices:** Milpa and slash-and-burn farming. **Southern Lowlands:** - **Characteristics:** Tropical forest, **Maya mountains**, artificial reservoirs (**Aguada**), swamps (**Bajo**), and terraces. - **Animals:** Includes **macaw**, **peccary**, and **jaguar (balam)**. - **Plants:** **Cacao**, **fig bark**, **rubber**, and **cotton**. **Maya Highlands:** - **Characteristics:** Temperate; includes **Lake Atitlan** and **Motagua River**. - **Resources:** **Jade**, **serpentine**, and **obsidian**. - **Animals:** **Quetzal**. - **Plants:** **Maguey** and **cactus**. ### Classic Maya Society **Terminology:** - **Maya:** Noun and adjective (e.g., **Maya sites**, **Maya ceramics**). - **Mayan:** Noun and adjective related to language. ### Early Preclassic (2000-1000 BCE) **Olmecs vs. Maya:** - **Olmec Meaning:** “Olman” = **rubber country** in Nahuatl. - **Time Frame:** 1500 - 1 BCE. - **Political Organization:** Not egalitarian; advanced chiefdom. **Olmec Art:** - **Examples:** Jaguar baby, cleft head/headdress. - **El Manatí:** Cast items include jade celts, wooden busts, and ceramic figures. Rituals became more organized over time. **San Lorenzo (1400-1150 BCE):** - **Diet:** Primarily aquatic resources. - **Feasting Role:** To build relationships and establish status. - **Architecture:** Includes colossal heads and thrones, symbolizing **kinship**. Thrones indicate recycled materials. **La Venta:** - **Characteristics:** Includes tombs with a **lack of human bones**. - **E-Group:** Orientation platform with three pyramids aligned east-west. ### Emergence of Olmec Civilization **Four Models of Emergence:** 1. **Strategic Levee Control Model:** Increased corn production through levees. 2. **Long-Distance Prestige Model:** Trade to enhance power. 3. **Long-Distance Utilitarian Model:** Control of utilitarian items via leaders. 4. **Social Competition Model:** Drive for increased prestige. ### Middle Preclassic (1000-300 BCE) **Calendars:** - Three types: **ritual**, **solar**, and **linear**. Notably a **260-day ritual calendar**. **Aguada Fénix:** - **Characteristics:** A **religious site** without permanent residents, using **MFU patterns** and an e-group complex. - **Structure Alignments:** Represent cosmological organization. **Comparison of Sites:** - **San Lorenzo** had rulers and residents, while **Aguada Fénix** did not. ### Ceibal **Transition:** From mobile to organized population with temple development. Ritual activities shifted from figurine production to temple construction. ### Late Preclassic (300-75 BCE) **Characteristics:** - **Bajo:** A **swamp**. - **Chicanel Ceramic Complex:** Red slip monochrome ceramics. **Key Sites:** - **Popol Vuh:** K’iche’ Maya creation story from **Utatolan**. - **Izapa:** Related to **Popol Vuh** with depictions of hero twins. **Kaminaljuyu:** - Once had canals, now dried up. **San Bartolo:** - Contains the earliest **260-day calendar** and early writing. ### Protoclassic (75 BCE-250 CE) **Key Events:** - Around **150 CE**, several sites like **Izapa** and **Kaminaljuyu** were abandoned. ### Teotihuacan **Characteristics:** - **Governing Body:** Static dynamism, no single kingdom. - **Architectural Style:** Distinctive **Talud-Tablero**. ### Early Classic (250-550 CE) **Population Growth:** - Grew to **100,000**; monumental architecture reflects ideological changes. ### La Entrada Event **Details:** - **La Entrada:** Involvement of Teotihuacan warriors, including **Sihyaj K’ahk’** and ruler **Spearthrower Owl**. ### Middle Classic Period (378-600 CE) **Key Changes:** - Abandonment of plaza groups for isolated mounds at **Becan**. ### Copan **Dynasty:** - **Kinich’ Yax K’uk’ Mo’** related to the **La Entrada event**. ### El Palmar **Period:** Late Preclassic with plaza constructions leading to the emergence of the **El Palmar dynasty** and interregional interactions.