Maya civilization is full of mysteries. Mayan descendants today inhabit some regions of Guatemala, Mexico, Honduras and Belize. The jungle of Central America has preserved dozens of cities founded by representatives of the oldest and one of the most mysterious civilizations. Only ruins remained from them, but they also allow us to tell a lot about what the Mayan culture was like. Museums in the world today store a large number of ceramics, jewelry, figurines that once belonged to them. Until recently, very little was known about the culture of this people. The names of cities, the names of artists and priests were an unsolved mystery.
Only when the manuscripts “Chilam Balam”, written in Latin letters in the Mayan language, fell into the hands of researchers, they could draw mythological, historical and astronomical information.
By the time the conquistadors arrived, the Maya tribes were settled on the vast territory of the Yucatan, Campeche, Quintana Roo Peninsula, parts of Tabasco, the western regions of El Salvador, Chiapas and many others. Civilization was born in the first centuries of our era. Mayan culture experienced its heyday in the 7-8 century AD. It was at this time that the most significant creations of architecture, sculpture, and Mayan painting were created.
Already in the 9th century, life in many cities almost ceased. Temples and palaces cease to appear, construction freezes, altars disappear. Almost completely freezes scientific life, empty palaces and workshops. Scientists are still arguing about what caused the decline of civilization. The most plausible assumption today is the hypothesis of a foreign invasion, which caused the destruction of cities and the expulsion of people from them.
The civilization, which existed for a relatively short period of time, left behind itself a lot of evidence that its representatives had surprisingly extensive knowledge. The Mayan culture was so developed that its achievements are striking even today. The Mayan calendar was a whole system of calendars, each of which was used for both religious and practical purposes. The horoscope was the first in the world to be used to determine favorable periods for rituals, sowing, etc.
Mayan astronomers also created the lunar calendar, without having at their disposal telescopes or any other equipment. They were able to calculate the length of the year, measure the phases of Venus and the Moon. These calendars were relatively short. For long-term calculations, the Long Account calendar was used. According to him, the planet in 2012 should cease to exist.
Mayan culture was quite diverse. It was represented by temple painting, architecture and science. The Indians worshiped the sun, so the "solar theme" can be traced in most works of art. In temple paintings, artists used paints that were highly resistant. Their composition is not known even today. Valuable objects were considered wooden figures of gods and deceased relatives.
Monuments of architecture are characterized by uniformity. Structures were built on stylobates, often had a quadrangular or oval base. The Mayans created entire city-states that were carved from stone. About two hundred years ago, scientists discovered the city of Palenque. It is a real work of art with pyramids, palaces, temples. The sculpture reached a special development.
At the same time, Maya had rather strange notions of beauty. In their understanding, deformed skulls, triangular teeth, and slanting eyes were considered beautiful. They also had very cruel rituals and traditions: human sacrifices with tearing out the heart were widely practiced.
The Mayan art culture was distinguished by its originality and extraordinary, which is why it is so interesting for modern researchers.
