Mayan- The Lost Civilization
- Nov 11, 2014
- 2 min read
The historians are still confused about the sudden disappearance of great Mayan civilization, which collapsed during the eighth century. There are several theories about this strange event. Some think the main reason is in overhunting; others think Mayans were exterminated by the other civilization (Spanish); third assume the cause is in the civil war between Mayan tribes. Conspiracy theorists have their own opinion. They think this ancient civilization was not collapsed- these superior people were at the highest level of evolution and they reached another dimension of existence.
Advanced Knowledge
However, the most rational explanation could be pretty much simpler. Great civilization was powerless against rapid climate change.
Mayan civilization had several big centers, but the greatest was, without any doubt, Chichen Itza in the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico. The buildings and the whole cities were constructed by a combination of the Mayan advanced technique and styles from Central Mexico. Some of these buildings have managed to “survive” to the present days, such as the Temple of the Warriors, El Castillo and the famous observatory El Caracol.
It is assumed this advanced civilization emerged before three millenniums in the area of today’s Guatemala, Mexico and Honduras. Beside their advanced building skills, the Mayans were famous because of their written language, which is considered to be the first native language on the continent.
In addition, these people were excellent mathematicians and astronomers and they knew almost everything about the movements of the Sun, Moon and planets. They were so interested in the universe that they had to build special observatories. One of the best known is, as we said, circular observatory El Caracol.
Sacred city of Chichen Itza is situated in the north of the Yucatan province, between Merida and Cancun in Mexico. It is now major and one the biggest archeological sites in the world. Also, it is a very popular tourist destination, with around a million visits during the year.
Shadow Snakes
Temple of Kukulkan or El Castillo is definitely master- piece of the Mayan architecture. It has 365 steps, which represents the days of the year and the period of Earth’s revolution around the Sun. Twice a year, at the spring and autumn equinoxes, the army of tourists comes to observe the natural phenomenon, when the sunrays and shadow forms snake shapes on the stairs. This scene is so unique and fascinating and could not be compared with any other performance of the nature. This is another evidence of the Mayan knowledge of the laws of the nature and Sun’s movements.
They also knew to calculate the exact time of the solar eclipses and some of their observatories were constructed in the order of the planet Venus.
It is interesting the Mayan were predicted the disappearance of their civilizations, which is the reason why they hide all treasure in the temple of the rain god. Archeologists have discovered many golden bowls and plates along with the human skeletons. According to some scientist, the Mayan people were considered this particular place as an entrance to the underworld. Maybe some of them have managed to break through to the other side after all?
Comments