The Mayan civilization is one of the most ancient cultures discovered on the planet. When Europe was in its early Middle Ages, Mayas already had developed culture with their music, arts, science, and buildings. These aspects show that people had unique structures regulating their lives and explaining the emergence and development of civilizations. However, having erected magnificent cities, Mayas left them and moved to forests (“Maya: The Blood of Kings”). It indicates the peculiarities of their cultural screen and explains the desertion of big cities and their fast rise and collapse. During the classic period, when the Empire of Maya was at its peak, hundreds of cities were built across the region. It shows the development of various aspects of culture, such as architecture, arts, social relations, religion, and power distribution. Moreover, the desire to construct outstanding stone cities with specific features evidences the unique roots of the Maya, meaning they emerged in the region and cannot be viewed as successors of other civilizations.
However, the understanding of ancient Maya and their unique cultural screen can be acquired by analyzing their customs, everyday lives, and why they decided to leave their places. One of the possible explanations for the rise and decline of the Mayan civilization is the culture of bloody sacrifices. The authority in their society was built on belief, meaning that the inability to support it led to collapse. To remain powerful, kings had to build greater cities and provide more sacrifice and blood, including their own, as it was considered more powerful and valuable (“Maya: The Blood of Kings”). However, it was a devastating method, and one day it stopped working. The nation spent all its resources and could not support its bloody beliefs. It became the collapse of the great civilization characterized by the unique culture screen. It combined art, architecture, hierarchy, and science with religious beliefs as the source of power and was doomed to disappear.
Work Cited
“Maya: The Blood of Kings.” YouTube, uploaded by Ricardo Higuera, Web.