Essay about Mayan Indians - 751 Words

Mayan Indians The Mayan Indians lived mainly on or near the Yucatan Peninsula. This region had many volcanic mountains or Highlands in the south and the Lowlands in the central and northern regions. The southern part of the Lowlands was covered by a rain forest and the northern by much drier forests. You could also find savannas and swamps scattered throughout many of these regions. The fields that farmers would use to grow crops are cut and burned around February to May. During this time period, it is the dry season, in which it is very hot and uncomfortable for the people. When the practice this slash and burn technique, the sky becomes gray and smoky, making the weather even more unbearable.†¦show more content†¦The tribes usually lived in homes made of poles. The poles were young trees of had their bark stripped off and than set in a stone foundation for the building of the home. There were two doorways place in front of each other to allow for the free air to flow. The structure h ad rounded ends and was either filled with more poles or stucco. The roof was made out of a thick palm thatch, which sufficiently protected the interior. There was also a stone version of this home, which was lived in by the more powerful. It was similar, but instead was made in a rectangular form. In places where there are many large trees, wooden planks would be used in place of piles, which also lacked rounded ends. Some of these homes and structure are still standing today. The Mayans were skilled farmers who cleared large sections of tropical rain forests for their farming. Also, when they were running low on water, they would make an underground storage for rainwater. Maize was their main staple and still is, though they have various diets depending on the local geography. Agriculture was based on slash and burn farming which meant that the field has to be left alone from 5 to 15 tears after only 2 to 5 years of farming. The normal garment of men was a cotton breechcloth wrapped around the middle, with sometimes a sleeveless shirt, either white or dyedShow MoreRelatedThe History of Zero: Indian and Mayan Cultures726 Words   |  3 PagesZero is usually recognized today as being originated in two geographically separated cultures: the Maya and Indian. If zero was a place-holder symbol, then such a zero was present in the Babylonian positional number system before the first recorded occurrence of the Indian zero. If zero was represented by an empty space within a well-defined positional number system, such a zero was present in Chinese mathematics a few centuries before the beginning of the Common Era. The absence of a symbol forRead More The Toltec, Aztec, and Mayan Indian Tribes Essay598 Words   |  3 PagesThe Toltec, Aztec, and Mayan Indian Tribes TOLTECS The Toltecs were an Indian tribe who existed from 900 A.D. to 1200. 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