Mesoamerica

Mesoamerica refers to the diverse civilizations

that shared similar cultural characteristics in the
geographic areas comprising the modern-day countries
of Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Belize, El Salvador,
Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. Some of the shared cultural traits
among Mesoamerican peoples included a complex pantheon of deities,
architectural features, a ballgame, the 260-day calendar, trade, food
(especially a reliance on maize, beans, and squash), dress, and
accoutrements (additional items that are worn or used by a person, such
as earspools).
Mesoamerica
Some of the most well-known Mesoamerican
cultures are the Olmec, Maya, Zapotec,
Teotihuacan, Mixtec, and Mexica (or Aztec). The geography
of Mesoamerica is incredibly diverse—it includes humid
tropical areas, dry deserts, high mountainous terrain, and low
coastal plains. An anthropologist named Paul Kirchkoff first used the term
“Mesoamerica” (meso is Greek for “middle” or “intermediate”) in 1943 to
designate these geographical areas as having shared cultural traits prior
to the invasion of Europeans, and the term has remained.
Knowledge and understanding of celestial bodies was
advanced for their time.
Knew how to predict solar eclipses.
Used astrological cycles to aid in planting and harvesting
Developed two calendars that are as precise as those we
use today
Mayan believed that the Earth
was the center of all things
The stars, moons, sun, and
planets were gods
Mayan life were planned to
coincide with certain celestial
moments Mayan Priest believed that the will
and actions of the gods could be
The most important planet by far
read in the stars, moon, and
to the Maya was Venus, which
planets
they associated with war
 The Mayan gods were greatly
involved in human affairs, and
so their movements were
Observed watched closely. Mayan
Anomalies believed that heavenly bodies
were the key in analyzing and
sustaining life and their
civilization.
Normal Science:
Mayan Beliefs
About 250 and 900 CE
Mayan buildings, such as
temples, pyramids, palaces,
observatories and ball courts,
were laid out based on
observation Temples and pyramids, in
Allowed them to track the particular, were designed in such
seasons and determine when to a way that the sun, moon, stars,
plant crops and when to harvest and planets would be visible from
the top or through certain hole
 Observed
Anomalies
Revolutionary Science:
Mayan Temples Observatories

Normal Science:
Mayan Beliefs
 The Mayan needed a more
accurate and precise tracking of
date and time along with the
Observed temples. The need of Mayan to
Anomalies convert their observation to
numerology lead way to a new
scientific revolution.

Normal Science:
Mayan Beliefs
Based on two overlapping annual
cycles; Sacred and Secular
Calendar
Day was assigned four pieces of
identifying information: day
number and day name (sacred
calendar) and day number and
month name (secular calendar)
52 years counted as a single
interval. Calendar reset after each
interval
a priest devised another system to
fix events in an absolute
chronology
Identified each day by counting
forward from a fixed date in the
distant past
Grouped days into sets, or cycles;
baktun (144,000 days), k’atun
(7,200 days), tun (360 days), uinal
or winal (20 days) and kin (one
day)
 Observed
Anomalies
Revolutionary Science:
Mayan Calendars

Normal Science:
Mayan Beliefs
Folding books written by Mayan
priest in their hieroglyphic script.
Named after the cities where they
eventually settled
Products of professional scribes
working under the patronage of
god The Dresden codex is generally
paper was made from fig tree considered the most important of
Mainly consists of almanacs and the few that survive
horoscopes, tables
 Their observation of heavenly
bodies were not acceptable for the
Spanish conquistadors and catholic
Observed priest. At the time of the Spanish
conquest, the Maya had many
Anomalies
books. They destroyed them and
burned it whenever they found
them because it opposes the
belief of catholic priest.
Normal Science:
Mayan Codices
Bishop Diego de Landa in July 1562:
“We found a large number of books in these characters
and, as they contained nothing in which were not to be
seen as superstition and lies of the devil, we burned
them all, which they regretted to an amazing degree,
and which caused them much affliction.”

The Mayan accurately calculated
times when the sun would rise
and set, and determined the
length of the solar year to be 365
days. A tropical year is actually
365.2422 days long
The Priest-astronomers
determined the synodic period of
Venus to be 584 days, the actual
period of 583.92 days.
Mayans also calculated the
synodic periods of Mars as 780
days (actual = 779.936 days) and
Mercury as 117 days (actual = 116
days)
Mayans Astronomy through the
priests’ records and codices that
was once thought by the Spanish
as a false belief, made a scientific
revolution as proved by the
Modern Science
 Observed
Anomalies

Revolutionary Science:
Mayan Astronomy
Normal Science:
Mayan Codices
1.What is the most important Mayan Codices that survived the Spanish
Conquest?

Answer:
The Dresden Codex

2. The Calendar round was based on two overlapping annual cycles which
are ____& ____.

Answer:
Secular and Sacred Year