2. Who were the ancient Maya and what was the geographical extent of their civilization? According to Jared Diamond, why did their society collapse? Make sure to discuss their environment and their subsistence strategies. (Chapter 5 in book):
The Ancient Mayans are one of the oldest and remarkably sophisticated civilizations that are known among archaeologists as being an advanced culture that skillful at astronomy and arts. The Mayas civilization extended to many places of what are known now Honduras, El Salvador, Belize and Mexico. They were believing that nature elements had the power to either help or harm them. In fact, all their events are related to their religion beliefs. The Ancient Mayans believed in many gods that they want to …show more content…
The northern lowlands regions covered by rainforests. Both the lowlands and the highlands were important for trade within their civilization. First, the lowlands are a limestone shelf adjoined by the Gulf of Mexico on the west and north, and by the Caribbean Sea on the east. The lowlands were important for producing crops which were used later for their consumption. Some of the major crops they grow are squash, amaranth, cacao, chilli peppers, beans and cotton. Second, the highlands consist of a wide swathe of valleys and mountains, adjoined by the Pacific Ocean on the south. Although, the climate in the highlands is cooler than lowlands and the soil is fertile because of the volcanos, tsunamis and earthquakes. Many rivers start in the mountains and flow towards the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico in the lowlands. In facts, these series of rivers as pathways for boats to travel from one place to another. Most of the Ancient Mayan cities were built near these rivers that gave an access to trade routes and provided them with water for several purposes. The Maya didn’t use the money for trade, there were two kinds of goods commercialized, subsistence items were used on daily bases like clothing and food, and prestige items like gold, copper and
The Ancient Mayans are one of the oldest and remarkably sophisticated civilizations that are known among archaeologists as being an advanced culture that skillful at astronomy and arts. The Mayas civilization extended to many places of what are known now Honduras, El Salvador, Belize and Mexico. They were believing that nature elements had the power to either help or harm them. In fact, all their events are related to their religion beliefs. The Ancient Mayans believed in many gods that they want to …show more content…
The northern lowlands regions covered by rainforests. Both the lowlands and the highlands were important for trade within their civilization. First, the lowlands are a limestone shelf adjoined by the Gulf of Mexico on the west and north, and by the Caribbean Sea on the east. The lowlands were important for producing crops which were used later for their consumption. Some of the major crops they grow are squash, amaranth, cacao, chilli peppers, beans and cotton. Second, the highlands consist of a wide swathe of valleys and mountains, adjoined by the Pacific Ocean on the south. Although, the climate in the highlands is cooler than lowlands and the soil is fertile because of the volcanos, tsunamis and earthquakes. Many rivers start in the mountains and flow towards the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico in the lowlands. In facts, these series of rivers as pathways for boats to travel from one place to another. Most of the Ancient Mayan cities were built near these rivers that gave an access to trade routes and provided them with water for several purposes. The Maya didn’t use the money for trade, there were two kinds of goods commercialized, subsistence items were used on daily bases like clothing and food, and prestige items like gold, copper and