Mayan Architecture Their Greatest Achievement - 715 Words

A man, his skin bronzed from the endless amount of time under the sun, carries a large stone on his back. He plods through the small plants and underbrush, a faint cloud of dust rising in his wake. His breaths come in harsh pants that rasp through his dry throat, his chest heaving with carrying such a heavy load. Sweat covers his entire body and makes him shine under the noonday sun like a glorious god descending from the heavens. But, he is not a god. He is a mindless slave involved in an architectural project of Copan, a famous Mayan city. The Maya had a massive civilization that rose in 250 CE and fell around 900 CE. They inhabited an area known as Mesoamerica, which consisted of southern Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras. The Maya, as a people, are known for several achievements such as an extensive trade network, three calendars, and advances in numbers. Although they are notable, none are as great or powerful as their work in architecture. This shown when all four of these noteworthy achievements are judged by a set of criteria. There is the amount of effort, the scale or size of the achievement, the significance, and genius. There are achievements that some may believe rival the magnificent cities of the Maya such as their trade network, their number sense, and their calendars. Their trading web was an impressive accomplishment as it reached all over Mesoamerica, as well as the fact that there were many kinds of trade items and the number of theShow MoreRelatedIncas Versus The Aztecs And Mayans Essay1315 Words   |  6 PagesIncas versus the Aztecs and Mayans The incas rose in 1438, they fell in 1533. They suffered the attacks of Spanish conquerors such as Spaniard Francisco Pizarro (1475-1541) and the spread of small box. At the peak of power the civilization extended 4,000 km (2,500 miles) and included 16 million people. They were extremely advanced, had an army, laws, roads, bridges, and tunnels. 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It was divided into three periods. The pre-classic, classic and the post classic. The Mayan continues to re cerate their civilization with accommodations and adjustment reflecting their particular environment. The classic period saw the culminations of the tremendous achievements that began appearing in the pre- classic period, and that’s architecture, the arts, mathematics, astronomy and writing. During the classic period said to be so called, Maya civilization between