Maya and Aztec Civilization

The Maya Civilization was located in Central America. Today Central America consist of Yucatan, Guatemala, Belize, and Southern Mexico.

The Maya believed that the Earth was flat and had four corners. Each corner had a color. The East was red, the North was white, the West was black, and the South was yellow. In the center of these corners was the color green. Some Maya believed that the sky was multi layered and that it was supported by the four gods of physical strength called the "Bacabs". While the other Maya believed that the sky was supported by four trees of different colors and species.

The main sacred symbol of the Maya were their hieroglyphics, which is their script. Hieroglyphics were carved into stone or bone. Sometimes they were painted on pottery. The hieroglyphics were on the topics of astronomy and religious views.

this is an example of Mayan hieroglyphics.



The Maya practiced human sacrifie. They believed that the cosmos had three major places. These places were the Earth, the underworld, and the heavens. These were considered the Maya sacred places. The Mayan gods had good and evil traits, but they were never permanent characteristics. All of the gods are changeable. Maya tradition is based on cycles not permanence.

The Maya had a variety of totems and they all represent something different. For example, the eagle totem represents a comtemplative thought. The Maya practice a sophisticated for of shamanism. The Shaman is healing by the blood of his arms and legs. A major taboo of the Maya was that marriage was arranged by the families.

The Aztec Civilization was located in Central Mexico. The Aztec Civilization is considered to be a horizon of a Mesoamerican civilization. Just as the Maya Cosmology, the Aztec believed that the cosmos had three major places the Earth, the underworld, and the heavens. After the death of an Aztec, their souls went to either the sun, the Mictlan, or the Tlalocan. Depending on how they died would determine where they would go.

The people of the Aztec Civilization use different methods to show their writings. Their mostr famous method was their ideograms. These ideograms were symbols that expressed what they were trying to say. The Aztec's most sacred sites were their temples. They were called Teocalli. They were sacred to them, because they were considered God houses.

There were less than 200 Aztec Gods. The Aztec Gods were divided into threee groups; they heaven; the rain, fertility abd agriculture; and the war and sacrifice. The Aztec used art to contribute to their Gods. Different forms of art was considered  praise to their gods.