4. The
Maya
Classic
Era
250
A.D.
to
900
A.D.
• The
Maya
experimented
with
intensive
forms
of
agriculture,
dug
irrigaEon
canals
and
reclaimed
wetlands
by
construcEng
raised
fields.
4
5. The
Mayan
Kingdom
• During
the
late
classic
period,
Tikal,
a
kingdom
of
around
50,000
people,
was
the
largest
known
Mayan
center.
It
covered
about
14
square
miles
and
included
more
than
3,000
structures.
5
14. Mayan
Calendar
• As
true
throughout
Mesoamerica,
two
calendars
tracked
the
ritual
cycle
(260
days
into
18
months
of
20
days)
and
a
solar
calendar
(365
days
divided
into
18
months
with
5
unfavorable
days
at
the
end
of
the
year)
• The
Maya
believed
that
the
concurrence
of
these
two
calendars
every
fiy-‐two
years
to
be
especially
ominous.
(giving
the
impression
that
something
bad
or
unpleasant
is
going
to
happen)
14
28. • The
impressive
religious
imagery
that
decorated
the
façades
of
the
main
public
structures
drama8cally
demarcated
the
differences
between
the
principle
architectural
components
of
temples.
(e.g.
Plaza
vs.
Plataforma
Superior).
In
this
sense
the
architecture
and
iconography
conglomerated
with
splendor,
condi8oning
and
valida8ng
the
public
ac8on
and
the
protagonist
of
the
ceremonies
who
occupied
the
space
within
the
structure.
(arriba-‐abajo,
inferior-‐
superior,
muchos-‐pocos).
In
this
way
the
divine
power
enjoyed
by
the
governors
and
elite
was
jus8fied.
28