CULTURAL PRACTICES

BALL GAME

Was consider by Mayas like a ritual, symbolizing the origin of universe and other astrological phenomenos; the game shows the fight between players, in one side the twins and in the other side the gods of inframundo. The objective of the game was to players should be pass the ball fabricated with rubber, into a small circle located in one of the walls of the play camp; nowadays these sport is practice in Guatemala and Mexico.

In other place where the play camp doesn’t have small circles in the walls, the winner is the team or player who wins more lines in the play camp until enclose the opposite team/player, just like American Soccer.

The number of players is different, and in some cases players can use objects like sticks and can protect their chest and head to strong knocks, the game would be played during day and night, some researches shows that the player who lose his live was a prisoner of war that after receive knocks from winners is obligated to play and after it was sacrificed, taken place in a fertility ritual because they will goes to a paradise. Not all times the game ending in human sacrifices, because players just bet and the lose it was just the bet.

By Jennifer Jimenez J

Maya´s Rituals

The Maya were a religious people, who lived in fear of the destructive nature of their gods. And their rituals became a very important part of their religion, they have many traditions to commemorate the recently deceased and worship long, departed ancestors. In Maya rituals are outstanding death, for example, people who died by suicide, sacrifice, complications of childbirth and in battle were thought to be transported directly into heaven. Otherwise, the dance was also an important part of the ritual. Both men and women had their dances and individuals seldom danced together. The festivities dedicated to the gods were held at a date fixed by the tzolk'in or ritual calendar. The priests organized ceremonies, ornamentation of the temples and presenting offerings. There were also ball games (pot-a token), drama, processions and other celebrations.

The pot-a token is the ball game, which represents the origins of the universe and aimed at reviving the myths of the creation of maize and other astronomical phenomena. This is a ritual of passage, death and rebirth that legitimizes military action and political power.

The Maya ceremonies have relevant and different elements, for example the self, where it is pierced tongue, lobes and offering sexual organs and blood collection; the animals and human sacrifices; the dances, songs, drama, prayers; the fasting and abstinence and use of hallucinogenic mushrooms. Among the ceremonies still practiced within our ch'a Chaak, which plead to each, helpers of the god of rain when the rainy season is delayed.

By

Carolina Méndez Sánchez

....... BallGame .......

The sport more representative of the Maya civilization was the ballgame, better known today as football, but really it was more a ritual than a game, since it represented the passage of the stars and the sun is the source of all life.

The Mayans practiced the ballgame. The tradition mind that the players were prisoners of war. If they lost were decapitated, and if they earned the sacrificed and offered to the gods, without having that opportunity would be different. As such the ballgame, was a ceremonial game representing the passage of the stars and the sun is the source of all life. Where the ball was the representation of the sun.

Although apparently was a tough game, it is significant that people understand the relevance that had the ballgame for the Maya civilization, because the significance is not in who sacrificed, but in the ceremony commemorating the passage of the stars and sun. In addition even though it was a game that required strength and courage above all, loved what the Mayans.

By: Diana Palacios Chacon

MAYA´S SPORTS

Usually Maya’s people hadn’t many sports because they dedicated most of the time for working, but they had an especial sport, this was called ball game, looked to soccer; although they took it as a ritual, because this game represented de universe’s origin. This was a ritual of origin, died and rebirth.

In the game, people used a ball made of rubber that was hit with the waist, the knees, the shoulders and the elbows, and the objective of the game was that the ball went in a thin ring that was placed in one of the walls of the game field, and if the player achieved that objective, a point for that player’s team was added, was like a goal of the soccer nowadays. The winner group was who avoided the competitor and made points, and the losers were not killed or tortured, in comparison with other ancient cultures, except the prisons of war that were forced to play, because they believed that this way the prisons went to paradise.

Furthermore, before to start the game, players, almost in all the games, betted anything, for example, clothes, food, money, beers, etc., in consequence when the game finished the bet was paid. Also, in some places, such as Guatemala and Honduras, the winners could chase the losers, and remove their personal things if the winners liked these objects.

The members of the group, were different depending of situation, in some games, the players used rackets o canes; besides, they used armor for protecting their chest and the head, avoiding the strong hits of the ball. The game could last all day, morning and night.

People ended very exhausted, but they loved this game, because they enjoyed and praised, at the same time, for this reason this game was their favorite sport, although they, also, in the king's palace made juggling and dancing, like a situation where they could enjoy and do sports.

WRITTEN BY: PAULA FERNANDA FORTOUL R

THE MAYAN'S FAMILY

VIDEOS

Like many people of the world, the Maya built and need a body of religious beliefs to explain the origin and structure of the cosmos, as well as to justify the role making plays in the maintenance of order in that reality. Since it is impossible to explain the causes that produce the most diverse natural phenomena created an imaginary world formed by supernatural beings. I am going to write about the similarities and differences between two relevant gods, Itzamna and K´inich Ajaw.

One similarity between supernatural beings is that the god Itzamna as the god K´inich Ajaw possessed animal forms; for instance, the god Itzamna was a bird and a crocodile, while the god K´inich Ajaw was the mixture of various animals, such as the jaguar, shark, among others. Similar to the god Itzamna, god K´inich Ajaw had the same significance because, the first was the creator of everything that could one imagine in the cosmos, and the second was the creator of the sun, the two possessed individual skills but highly related to the establishment.

Although there are similarities, there are also some relevant differences. The god Itzamna by their creator god qualities, he personified as an old man. His residence was heavenly, and from there dictated the designs of the cosmos, seated on a celestial band, a symbol of planets and other celestial bodies that representations zoomorfas may be part of their body. In contrast, the god K´inich Ajaw for the most common symbol was the ramming of four flower petals glyph K´in (Sun, day, time and party), which refers to the four directions of the cosmos, the head of the solar deity was used to represent the number four.

All in all, it is impossible to explain the causes that produce the most diverse natural phenomena created an imaginary world formed by supernatural beings. For this reason it is relevant to know about similarities and differences between to significant gods, Itzamna and K´inich Ajaw.

By: Diana Palacios

ARTHUR KING vs ZEUS

In ancient civilizations heroes were people who represent the rules or natural phenomenos of their period. Some of there are consider myths, like the Greek gods or philosophers, also characters of history like Kings or Queens. I am going to write about the similarities or differences between two characters of history; Arthur King and Zeus.

Arthur King was the governor to British, at the same way, Zeus was consider the King of the gods, in addition both had symbols that represent their personality and labor with their community, likewise both are men and they were responsible to take important decisions to solve problems.

On the contrary both governed in different period of history; Zeus was first than Arthur King, also they differ in the way that Zeus has a lot of children with different woman; while Arthur King just had one child; even each one had symbols that represent them, it was different, for example Arthur King symbols are: Excalibur, Camelot castle, Merlin and the knights of the Round Table; while Zeus symbols are: the thunderbolt, eagle, Mount Olympus and sky.

Finally, even these two characters had differences, also has one aspect in common, each one governed a nation or a group of people who come up to them, for help to solve problems or questions.

By; Jennifer Jimenez

Charlemagne Vs Aquiles

Heroes are mans often of divine ancestry, who are endowed with great courage and strength, celebrated for his bold and favored by the gods. In this essay I compare and contrast two heroes talking about their similarities and differences, for that when begin to remember all of heroes to history are common talk about hero as Aquiles or Carlo Magno, who are considered a relevant character of history for their actions and bequest. Both heroes fought achieve goals and fighting several enemies. However Aquiles was a hero of Homero´s legend and isn’t a real hero as Carlo Magno who is considered a one of the most real hero in history, because founded the Carolingian Empire and was transformed into the Holy Roman Empire.

One similarity is legend about their lives; Aquiles was a protagonist and greatest warrior of the Iliad by Homer. Likewise the fame of the knights of Charlemagne and his court led to a series of myths and legends. In the same way both heroes are considered military leaders. Charlemagne was one of the greatest military leaders of the middle ages. As king, revived the political and cultural spirit that had disappeared with the fall of the Western Roman Empire. Like to Aquiles who was the fastest and the most beautiful of the hero gathered in Troy.

Nevertheless, a major difference is a time in which they lived, because Charlemagne lived during 700 years while Aquiles is a relevant character to Greece mythology.

In summary these two characters are some similarities and differences. Both hero are outstanding and had relevant “legado” for all humanity around the history. Eventhoght they are lived in different times, both are main character of history for their actions and bequest.

by:Carolina Méndez Sánchez

ALTHOUGH THESE MAYAN GODS ARE POWERFULL, THE ARE ALSO MANY DIFFERENCE ABOUT THEIR POWERS.

Always, people think that gods are essential for living because they can to help them to achieve their dreams, besides in all cultures there are some gods, and in one of those cultures there are more gods than other and the gods` powers are different in the some cultures.

The gods` myth are transmitted from generation to generation because is vital for people to believe in something, for this reason gods’ myths were created since that the man started to think.

Now, I will speak about two Mayan gods, the god Chac and the god Itzama, that were essential for the Mayan people

The God Itzama was the lord of heaven, the night and the air and his power was to punish ambitious people; and the God Chac was the god of rain and the cardinal points. His power was to give fertility and prosperity to devout people.

One similarity is the origin of these two gods, because both existed since the mayan´s creation; also, these gods were very powerful so people prayed to much to these gods for their well-being, besides, these two gods punished irresponsible people.

However, The god Chac was more ordinary than The god Itzama, because the god Chac was the god of the working classes, in contrast the god Itzama was the god of the high classes, because he invented the calendar and the writing.

In summary, these gods were priority for the Mayan civilization and although they are different, they were significant for each social class, in the same way, each gods had difference powers for each social class.

by Paula Fortoul.