Chapteb II 

 THE MAYAN CIVILIZATION 



THE wonderful culture of the Mayan Indians to 

 which we will now turn our attention was devel- 

 oped in the humid lowlands of Central America 

 and especially in the Yucatan peninsula. Artists are 

 everywhere of the opinion that the sculptures and other 

 products of the Mayas deserve to rank among the high- 

 est art products of the world, and astronomers are 

 amazed at the progress made by this people in the meas- 

 uring of time 1 by the observed movements of the 

 heavenly bodies. Moreover, they invented a remark- 

 able system of hieroglyphic writing by which they were 

 able to record facts and events and they built great 

 cities of stone that attest a degree of wealth and 

 splendor beyond anvthing seen elsewhere in the New 

 World. 



The Mayan culture was made possible by the agri- 

 cultural conquest of the rich lowlands where the exuber- 

 ance of nature can only be held in check by organized 

 effort. On the highlands the preparation of the land 

 is comparatively easy, owing to scanty natural vegeta- 

 tion and a control vested in irrigation. On the lowlands, 

 however, great trees have to be felled and fast-growing 

 bushes kept down by untiring energy. But when 

 nature is truly tamed she returns recompense many 

 fold to the daring farmer. Moreover, there is reason 

 to believe that the removal of the forest cover over large 

 areas affect- favorably the conditions of life which under 

 a canopy of Leaves are hard indeed. 



The principal crops of the Mayas were probably much 

 the same a- on the highlands, with maize as the great 

 staple. Varieties favorable to a humid environment 



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