154 The Classic Period of the Maya
Learning Objective
- Describe life, religion, and architecture in the Classic period
Key Points
- The Maya developed an agriculturally intensive, city-centered civilization consisting of numerous independent city-states of varying power and influence.
- The Maya civilization participated in long-distance trade with many other Mesoamerican cultures and established trade routes between city-states.
- The Maya used complex calendars to calculate religious, solar, and lunar cycles.
- The cause of the collapse of the Maya civilization is unknown.
Terms
Copán
An important city that boasted some of the most complex architecture from the Classic period of Maya history.
Tzolkin
This 365-day solar calendar utilized the movement of Earth around the Sun to calculate the year.
stelae
Carved stones depicting rulers with hieroglyphic texts describing their accomplishments.
The Classic period lasted from 250 to 900 CE. It saw a peak in large-scale construction and urbanism, the recording of monumental inscriptions, and significant intellectual and artistic development, particularly in the southern lowland regions. During this period the Maya population numbered in the millions, with many cities containing 50,000 to 120,00o people. The Maya developed an agriculturally intensive, city-centered civilization consisting of numerous independent city-states of varying power and influence. They created a multitude of kingdoms and small empires, built monumental palaces and temples, engaged in highly developed ceremonies, and developed an elaborate hieroglyphic writing system.
The political, economic, and culturally dominant “core” Maya units of the Classic Maya world system were located in the central lowlands, while the corresponding peripheral Maya units were found along the margins of the southern highland and northern lowland areas. The semi-peripheral (mediational) units generally took the form of trade and commercial centers. But as in all world systems, the Maya core centers shifted through time, starting out during Preclassic times in the southern highlands, moving to the central lowlands during the Classic period, and finally shifting to the northern peninsula during the Postclassic period.
Monuments
The most notable monuments are the stepped pyramids the Maya built in their religious centers and the accompanying palaces of their rulers. The palace at Cancuén is the largest in the Maya area, but the site has no pyramids. On the other hand, cities like Tikal and Copán illustrate the wealth of architectural accomplishments during these prolific centuries. Copán came to its full power between the 6th and 8th centuries, and included massive temples and carvings that illustrate the full power of its ruling, and often merciless, emperors.
The cities of Palenque and Yaxchilan were also cultural and religious centers in the southeastern Maya region, and included large temples, ball courts, and even a uniquely vaulted ceiling in the ha