Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Classic Period (AD 250-900)
The Classic Maya were organized into numerous city-states. While Tikal began to assume a
primary role around AD 250, El Mirador had been mysteriously abandoned about a century
earlier. Some scholars believe a severe drought hastened this great city's demise.
Each city-state had its noble house, headed by a priestly king who placated the gods by
shedding his blood by piercing his tongue, penis or ears with sharp objects. As sacred head
of his community, the king also had to lead his soldiers into battle against rival cities, cap-
turing prisoners for use in human sacrifices.
A typical Maya city functioned as the religious, political and market hub for the sur-
rounding farming hamlets. Its ceremonial center focused on plazas surrounded by tall
temple pyramids and lower buildings with warrens of small rooms. Stelae and altars were
carved with dates, histories and elaborate human and divine figures.
In the first part of the Classic period, most of the city-states were probably grouped into
two loose military alliances centered on Calakmul, in Mexico's Campeche state, and Tikal.
In the late 8th century, trade between Maya states waned and conflict grew. By the early
10th century the cities of Tikal, Yaxchilán, Copán, Quiriguá and Piedras Negras had rever-
ted to minor towns or even villages, and much of El Petén was abandoned. Many explana-
tions, including population pressure, drought and ecological damage, have been offered for
the collapse of the Classic Maya period.
The Blood of Kings: Dynasty & Ritual in Maya Art,
by Linda Schele and Mary Ellen Miller, is a heavily and fas-
cinatingly illustrated guide to the art and culture of the ancient Maya.
