The history of the Maya
Although the first farming villages have been dated to 1500 B.C. on the Pacific coast of Guatemala and to about 800 in the Highlands, the Preclassic period - which covers the period from about 1500 to 250 - is still poorly known to historians. What is certain is that the golden age of Mayan civilization and the apogee of its greatest cities came with the Classic period, between 250 and 950 AD.
The classical period (250-950). After having benefited from the Olmec influence, the Maya underwent, at the beginning of the ancient classic - until 550 - that of the civilization of Teotihuacán, which radiated from the current Mexico. Nevertheless, these conquerors gradually adopted Mayan customs, creating a "mixed" culture: the Esperanza, whose symbol is the city of Kaminaljuyú (in Guatemala City). Then, from 600 to 900, the Mayan civilization existed without any external influence and finally reached its apogee, exemplified by Tikal, its most prestigious city, in the Petén, in the north. If the architectural standards of the different cities are common, their topography, the size of the constructions and the decorative motifs used are specific to each one. Like the Greek world of antiquity, it is a civilization formed by a group of cities, and not a politically unified empire. Thus, to the power of Tikal answers that ofUaxactún, ofEl Ceibal, of Piedras Negras, or of Quiriguá.
The post-classical period and the decline of the Mayan civilization (950-1523). The arrival of the Spaniards in 1524 did not put an end to the Mayan era. The essence of the civilization had collapsed long before, at the end of the recent classical period, at the beginning of the tenth century. Sources are lacking to establish the causes of this surprisingly rapid decline - in less than a century - and the hypotheses are numerous. Among them is an excessive population density, which led to the depletion of fragile tropical soils, famines and epidemics. Another possibility is a drought crisis that, combined with an insufficient number of farmers, could have been correlated with a change in social structures. It also seems that the Maya elites suddenly disappeared, as evidenced by the cessation of major construction - perhaps they were swept away by massive popular revolts? A final lead: the structure of the Maya Empire in independent cities, which favored rivalries between them, as well as social unrest, putting them within reach of external enemies. For example, between 900 and 1000, warriors from Tabasco - whose culture was more Mexican than Mayan - settled for a time in Altar de Sacrificios, in the north of Guatemala, in the Petén, at the confluence of the most important navigable rivers in the central part of the country. In the Highlands, some sites are abandoned, surely because of their close links with the classical civilization. Others, like Zaculeu, the capital of the Mam Maya, continue to be inhabited. On the other hand, in the south of the country, in the Altiplano, the Cakchiquel-Quiché peoples subsist around cities such as Utatlán and Iximché, far from knowing the influence of those of the classic period. These are the peoples that the Spaniards encountered upon their arrival.
The colonial and modern period (1524 to the present). After the Conquista, the fugitives found refuge in the central part of the Maya zone. Gradually, the indigenous population of the Yucatán and the Highlands concentrated in evangelization villages and became victims of terrible epidemics: nearly 90% of the inhabitants would have died during the 16th century, causing the total depopulation of the Pacific coast. Like the Esperanza, a new culture was born, made up of indigenous and Spanish elements mixed and modified. This is the culture that still exists today in the most inaccessible mountain villages of Guatemala and Chiapas, Mexico. On the other hand, the demographic growth that began at the end of the eighteenth century has allowed the indigenous population to catch up with - and even surpass - pre-Hispanic densities. Today, the acceleration of economic activities is increasingly changing the traditional culture inherited from the colonial period.
The Mayan culture
Rather than historical events, it's easier to characterize the Maya by their cultural traits. Here is a non-exhaustive presentation:
Power organization. The Maya lived in an absolute monarchy: each city was ruled by a Halach Uinik - "true man" - who concentrated all powers and passed them on to his son. The Batabo'ob - "Batab" in the singular - governed small towns, with social, religious and military duties. Finally, each locality had its own military chief, called Nacom. This group constituted the nobility, while the clergy was dominated by priests, the Ah Kin, whose office was hereditary. Subjected to very strict rules of life, they had to engage in regular mortifications in order to offer their blood to the gods. Next came the people, essentially farmers. Women took care of the household - through tasks such as cooking, weaving and gardening - while men cultivated the land.
Religion. An essential element of Mayan culture, it is based on a division of the universe into three levels: the underworld, the earth and the sky. Each of these is subdivided into several kingdoms, over which different gods reign. Their "hierarchy" ranges from Ah Puch, the god of death in the ninth basement, to Itzamná the god of heaven, son of the creator Hunab Ku, on the thirteenth floor. The most important seem to have been the sun god, Kinich Ahau, the god of wind and water, Kukulkán, and the god of wild plants and animals, Yum Kaax. In the Mayan conception, the Earth is a fragile in-between, generously created by the gods so that mankind could have a territory. In return, people had to show the utmost gratitude, notably through gifts of blood and heart: offerings had to be multiplied, hence the frequent recourse to human sacrifice, to which Mayan religion is often reduced.
Writing. Maya writing is the most elaborate in ancient America. Rich in ideograms and phonograms, it was the only mode of written expression on the continent to have abolished all graphic representation of an object, replacing it with abstract elements combined to form words.
Clothing. Men wore a simple cache-sexe, a cotton band around the waist and held in place at the crotch, holding two panels decorated - often with embroidery and feathers. This garment appeared as early as the Pre-Classical period and lasted until the 16th century. Women wore large, decorated tunics, not unlike those still worn today in Yucatán. The Mayas wore xanabs, sandals extended by a heelpiece decorated to the ankle, which are also found on the feet of today's Guatemalan natives. Last but not least, this civilization placed particular importance on hairstyles as a means of social recognition. They were composed of a wide variety of ornaments - jewels, feathers and embroidered fabrics - resting on wooden structures.
Science. Since it was in the sky that the Maya saw their most powerful gods, they sought to observe the heavens. This fascination - reflected in their meticulous recording of sunrise and sunset times - enabled them to calculate solar and lunar cycles, and predict eclipses. In mathematics, they used a twenty-unit system - from 0 to 19 - and logical calculation symbols: the zero was represented by a shell, the dot was worth one, and the dash was worth five. Thus, 11 was written with two hyphens surmounted by a dot. Beyond 20, the position of the signs from top to bottom indicated the number of multiples of 20 to be considered.
Arts. Sculpture was used to decorate buildings. Stone was cut, polished with abrasives - often a mixture of water and jade dust - then painted a dark red - based on iron oxide. Omnipresent in the cities discovered, this is the best-known form of Mayan art. Paint was also used for monuments, in a wide range of tones linked to the rank and gender of the figures depicted. Another renowned Mayan art form is ceramics. Dating back to at least 2,500 B.C., ceramics became progressively more refined, both in technique and in the colors used, reaching their apogee during the Classic period. A wide variety of motifs, inspired by naturalism, geometry or mythology, were used.
The Maya today
Of Guatemala's 14.9 million inhabitants, almost half - 6.2 million or 41.66% - belong to the 22 Mayan peoples. Even though the Political Constitution of the Republic recognizes the existence of indigenous populations, and despite the international agreements ratified by the country on their rights, the social, economic and political divide persists - a situation that is much worse for women. In terms of health, education, employment and income, the Mayas remain on the margins of society, victims of severe inequality and social exclusion.
The latter is perpetuated by the national media, which privilege Spanish as the official language, while media in indigenous languages have limited local coverage. Another illustration of the lack of representation is the percentage of deputies - and other public offices of this level - who are indigenous, barely reaching 15%(according to work published in 2023 by the NGO Grupo Internacional de Trabajo sobre Asuntos Indígenas - IWGIA). Furthermore, the country's profound ethnic inequality has been highlighted by the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic at the beginning of this decade. Indigenous people's vulnerability to the crisis was largely exacerbated by their poverty, which affected 75% of them, compared with 36% of other inhabitants. The gap is the same when measured by the multidimensional poverty index, with incidence rates of 80% and 50.1% respectively.
As the Mayan heritage is an integral part of Guatemalan culture, the contrast between the interest it arouses and the situation of the indigenous people is striking. Every year, hundreds of thousands of tourists flock to the Maya, drawn by their history, traditions, festivals, crafts and sites such as Tikal. Such is the popularity that it's not uncommon to see specially-designed tours focusing on their secrets and mysteries. So, while the road to equality may seem long, we travelers too have a small part to play. This means choosing stores, establishments and tour agencies that work directly with local communities or have a social vocation - supporting education projects, for example.
