Mayan Warfare and Farming
The Impact of War on Maya Crops
The Maya were ancient people of today's geographical areas of Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador; archaeologists estimate that the Maya lived from about 2,600 BC and thrived for thousands of years. War, drought and the inability to support a growing Mayan population are thought to have contributed to the sudden demise of a thriving ancient culture.
Mayan Crops
Mayan crops included corn, squash, beans and manioc; manioc was a starch made by leaching and drying the roots of the Cassava plant (a woody shrub of the Euphorbiaceae plant family) and was a staple food for those living in the tropics. The Cassava plant provided a major source of carbohydrates for the Mayan diet; archaeologists have discovered evidence at Mayan sites that the Maya were using the Cassava plant.
Corn too was a popular food of many ancient tribes; to the Maya, corn imitated the life cycle of humans in Maya legends. The sacred Mayan legends told that humans emerged from the earth, like the green sprouts of corn; when the corn was harvested, the green stalk was cut, illustrating death in the life cycle. Growing corn in the lowlands was a difficult task for the Maya; rain did not fall for many months and corn needed moderate rainfall when young and much more during pollination.
The Mayan Farming Calendar
Many of the best Mayan farmers were considered to be early Maya lords; Maya lords studied the fields of corn and studied the positioning of the sun in both the Spring and Fall equinoxes. They marked out a complex calendar, according to the natural world around them, in order to grow successful crops. Maya lords needed to have both ritual and practical knowledge which included how and where to plant corn and how to nurture it.
The Legend of the Mayan Maize God
The Mayans built many architectural structures; it is thought that some of these structures were used to re-enact the Maya legend of creation, that of the birth of the maize God. Structures such as large pyramids faced the rising sun and rain-bearing storms; the formation of the pyramid pinnacle naturally attracted lightening. The legend was re-enacted to watching crowds at the start of the rainy season. The maize God rapidly became a symbol for the Maya Kings and a political patron.
The Importance of Warfare to the Mayans
War was a large part of the Maya culture; there was frequent conflict and warfare between neighboring Mayan states. The Maya saw war as a means of expanding control over trading and farming, resolving rivalries, and extending further power. The winner of a war was said to be favored by the Gods.
Mayan kings were regarded as a reincarnation of the Maya Gods; kings dressed in quetzal feathers, jaguar pelts and jade jewelry. Maya warriors wore spectacular headdresses and masks; they had woven shields of palm or cotton, leather or cotton leg and arm bindings and wore cotton jackets packed with rock salt.
The Impact of War on Mayan Crops
All Maya people relied on crops and farmings for food resources; therefore, initial Maya wars were targeted at the royal residences of the cities, and not at the farms and villages. Wars would have impacted on farming and resulted in crop destruction. However, as time progressed and trade and resource control intensified, cities built bigger defenses to keep attacking Maya warriors out. Surrounding farm land and trade routes became more vulnerable.
The Fall of the Maya Empire
By the end of the eighth century, the Mayan kings were living a life of excess; many wars had ravaged the land and Mayan kings were constructing grand defenses in the form of pyramids. Forests were cut down in the process. Excess pressure was put upon the land to produce crops to feed an increasing population.
The arrival of a devastating drought in about 810 AD, followed by several others over the following years, saw the failure of crops and death of the Mayan population. Drought, war and lack of sustainable food supplies may have led to the fall of a great empire. Today, once grand cities of the ancient Maya lay hidden and lost to the jungle.
References:
National Geographic Collector's Edition 2008 Mysteries of the Maya
University of Colorado at Boulder
For Related Reading:
Many Mayan Cities Were Lost To The Jungle
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