Considered one of the most advanced ancient civilizations, the Mayans
are credited with a series of outstanding breakthroughs. * Monumental
architecture set in urban and ceremonial centers. * A system of
hieroglyphic writing, the use of codex ( bark paper books) and a
calendar. * Development of arts and sciences such as medicine. * A
well-defined religious system based on the cosmos and nature which
required honoring the god of the sun, moon, rain and corn among others.
The Maya were noted for elaborate and highly decorated ceremonial
architecture, including temple-pyramids, palaces and observatories. The
Maya were very creative in sculpture and painting. The carved facades of
their temples and palaces rival those of ancient Greece and Rome and the
jade artifacts, polychrome ceramics and bone carvings found at many
sites throughout the area are eloquent testimony to their skills. Also
astonishing are: The mayan calendar which was infinitely more accurate
than the Gregorian in use today, the invention of the "zero" in their
mathematical system and the development of astronomy and astrology to a
high science by charting the movements of the sun, moon and stars. The
Maya were equally skilled as weavers and potters. The Maya reached their
peak during the Classic period when they produced some of their most
extraordinary works. Deep within the jungles of Yucatan peninsula,
Chiapas and central America lie the fabled temples and palaces of the
Maya. While Europe still slumbered in the midst of the Dark Ages, these
innovative people had charted the heavens, developed a writing system
and were masters of mathematics and calendrics. Their legacy in stone,
which has survived in a spectacular fashion at places such as Edzna,
Chicanna, Calakmul, Uxmal, Chichen Itza, Bonampak, Palenque, Tikal,
Tulum, Dzibilnocac and Labna lives on as do the seven million
descendants of the classic Mayan civilization. Today's handicrafts are
still produced using ancient techniques and retain their importance
within the Mayan culture. Weaving is one of the outstanding Maya craft,
an ancient art that has survived uninterrupted for centuries and is now
becoming famous all over the world. Many of today's traditional designs
are found engraved on ancient stelae at Mayan ruins, which bear witness
to their timelessness and authenticity. The Maya also make baskets,
pottery and wood carvings of animals, saints and brightly-painted toys
and chests. Find out more about this remarkable people in their painting
from today's mayan artists.
