10 Interesting Facts about Mayans


An ancient civilization of Middle America will be explained on Facts about Mayans. There are many cultures and rituals in Mayans, such as human and blood sacrifice. Besides, The king and noble is the top of Mayan society. Their life is very different with the commoners. There are still many interesting facts about them. Check this out!

Facts about Mayans 1: Naming children

As we know that the Mayan calendar had a specific name (boys and girls)
for each day and that practice was followed by parents. That’s why children in the Mayan were named based on the day of their birth.

Facts about Mayans 2: Beautiful features

Mayans want their children to have beautiful feautures. That’s why there are manh unnatural physical characteristics for them. They are flat foreheads, crossed eyes, and big noses. For the flat forheads, Mayans pressed the babies’ foreheads using board. Whereas for crossed eyes, Mayans dangled objects in front of a newborn’s eyes. Besides, they also used makeup to make the nose of the children became large.

Flat foreheads
Flat foreheads

Facts about Mayans 3: Occupation

The main occupation of Mayans is farmer. They are hard worker. They did not use metal tools or animals to farm, but worked by hand and only used simple stone tools.

Facts about Mayans 4: Food

Maize is the most important food of Mayans. It is a kind of vegetable like corn. Almost all of the food that they eat comes from maize, such as porridge, tortillas, and drinks. Whereas chilies, beans, and squash are the staple crops of Mayans. They also eat ducks, deer, and fish for meat.

Maize
Maize

Facts about Mayans 5: Human sacrifice

Mayans had interesting ritual of human sacrifice. The sacrifice was aimed to medical reasons or religious. There were several methods of the sacrificial ritual, including the removal of the heart and decapitation. Then, the victim will be painted in blue and the heart will be removed while it was still beating.

Facts about Mayans 6: Clothes

The region and social status are the factors which decide the clothing of Mayans. The colorful clothes which was made from animal skins were worn by the wealthy family, followed by fancy jewelry and feather headdresses. Whereas simple clothes were worn by commoners, loincloths for men and long skirts for women. When cold, they also wore a blanket (a manta) to wrap their shoulders.

Facts about Mayans 7: Tattoo

Tattoo is very common in Mayans. They usually get tattoo after married, for men and women. Besides, design of tattoo is very complex.

Facts about Mayans 8: Homes

Hut was the home of Mayans, especially the commoners. It was made from different materials, such as mud and stone. The roof was made from straw or dirt. Whereas the nobles and kings lived in the large palaces which were made from stone.

Hut
Hut

Facts about Mayans 9: Painkillers

Hallucinogenic drugs are the painkillers of Mayans. They used them in the daily life. The drugs are also used for religious rituals.

Facts about Mayans 10: Game and Dance

The most popular game of Mayans was the Mayan ball game. It was usually played in the religious ceremonies. Besides, there were many kind of dances which were practiced by Mayans. They were the Monkey dance, the Snake dance, and the Dance of the Stag.

The Mayan ball game
The Mayan ball game

We have talked facts about Mayans? Do you know other facts about them?


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