The Lost God- The Maya
The Mayan civilization was a fierce culture throughout the 250 AD to 900 AD. They spread throughout Honduras, Guatemala, northern El Salvador, and as far as central Mexico. The Maya had a rich culture full of tradition and devotion.
One of the larger cities of the Mayan culture is Tikal located in northern Guatemala. Founded in 292 AD, the city dominated much of the politics, economics and military of the Mayan people. The people of the city of Tikal built more than 4,000 monuments whose purpose was to bring the Mayans closer to their gods. The fact that these built giant monuments still standing to this day is unbelievable. These historical buildings have truly stood the test of time. The Mayans dedicated their time to building these monuments to get closer to their gods. The Mayans believed that humans came from the underworld and that only those who died violent deaths would ever reach the heavens. This is a unique sense of heaven and hell. Normally, no one is looking to die a death full of violence in order to reach heaven; normally heaven type places are associated with the idea of peace and calmness. The Mayans also seemed to place people as inherently bad, claiming that humans are born of the underworld. It’s a strange way to see people compared to the way now it is taught to try and see the inherently good in people. The burn technique of agriculture that the Mayans used was ultimately their demise in Tikal. They soon fled the city in an attempt to flee famine. Focusing purely on elite status and the signs from the gods left the people without any specific focus for the Earth and their food supply, thus leaving the 40,000+ people without a reason to stay in the city.
The hidden temples of Palenque are such an architecture wonder. The fact such a low technological advanced civilization was able to build a ‘passage to the underworld’ is incredible. The artistic legacy of Palenque is also something unique; it puts the...