Deep in the depths of the jade, tropical rainforest in the Yucatan Peninsula lies the ancient ruins of the lost civilization. The city-states belong to the Maya, who were a literate society that thrived between 300BC to 900AD. Temples were built by the Maya, but they didn’t just need materials … they needed people.
Many farms produced tobacco, squash, beans, tomatoes, avocado, chilli peppers, cacao, vanilla and maize. Maize was a staple food in the Yucatan Peninsula; they loved it so much they had a maize god, who was Hunahpoo. The Mayans used a method called slash and burn, which was used by farmers in the low land, which was done by burning part of the rainforest. However farmers in the high lands used volcanic-rich, nutrient soil left by the volcanoes. They didn’t just eat vegetables they also ate meat but in order to eat meat they would have had to hunt. They would hunt deer and turkey.
The Maya didn’t just build temples they also needed shelter; they built their own houses. As it rains a lot on the Yucatan Peninsula, the Mayans made their roofs out of thatch and had it to hang over to let out the rain. It appears that most of their houses were made out of a technique called adobe; it’s been used all throughout history and still used today. Making adobe is simple; it’s straight forward and is nearly all made out of mud!
The materials needed to construct these homes were simple compared to those needed for the royal temples, which were assembled from limestone. Miners would spend all day quarrying heaps of lime stone, but there is no evidence they used wheels or beasts of burden ( horses, oxen, donkeys, camels or llamas) so the slaves would of had to transport the stone.
To decorate these temples the Maya would cover the them in stucco, which is a cement-like substance made out of limestone water and sand. next they would cover them in a red paint. Scribes would decorate the temples with glyphs; the Mayans had skilled crafts men, who created sculptures of the gods and royalties. They may have decorated their temples with jewels such as: jade turquoise and obsidian.
Looking at one of these Mayan temples your perception may be thinking that stone was a key essential but actually you would need people and to support people you would need food and water.