A Mayan legend tells of an alliance between Uxmal, Chichén Itzá and Mayapán that was shattered when Lord Kanek, ruler of Chichén Itzá, kidnapped Princess Sac Nicte, daughter of the Lord of Mayapán, on the day of her marriage to the Prince of Uxmal. According to the ancient story, in the mayhem that followed the flight of the star-crossed lovers, Mayapán led by Hunac Ceel, attacked Chichén, the Itzá fled south, and war broke out across the peninsula as the different city states vied for power.
Mayapán did dominate the peninsula after the fall of Chichén Itzá, and several of its buildings are poor imitations of the Pyramid of Kukulcan and the Observatory. Mayapan itself is thought to have fallen around 1450.

Unlike many other ancient civilizations, the ancient Maya have resisted the passage of time, and many of them have proudly remained and pertain today to a modern Maya culture. Thanks to today’s Mayas is how we know about beliefs, traditions and what kind of eating habits their Maya ancestors had.

The main ingredients of the Maya food were corn, beans, and squash. This basic diet has remained for centuries, but, the modern Maya diet differs because it incorporated European foods that were unknown by Mayas at the ancient times, such as rice, wheat, chicken, and pork and modern foods are replacing this rich culture more and more day by day.

In the ancient Maya diet, corn was perhaps the most important food and source of nutrients. First, they dried the kernels and removed them from the cob, and then they soaked these kernels in a solution of water and lime, removing the casings from each kernel. Thus, the Maya exposed the amino acids and other nutrients of the corn. The corn could then be grinded and used to make tortillas, that are still popular  in the Mexican diet.

Beans for the Maya were a major source of protein. They mashed them up and spread them inside the tortillas to make tacos.

Squash came in many different varieties, and the Maya used all of the squash, raw, dried and roasted as a snack. Also other fruits and vegetables, like the avocado, papaya, guava, and breadnut, were either cultivated or collected from the wild. Chilies were used as condiments to spice up the beans.

Although meat was not the hub of the Mayan diet, they ate a wide variety of animals were from rabbits to armadillos, monkeys to tapirs, macaws  and other types of fowls, turtles and iguanas but  most common meat eaten by the Maya was turkey and dog which were domesticated. The Maya diet was also supplemented by the exploitation of maritime resources, including fish, lobster, shrimp, conch and shellfish.

The Mayans are believed to be the first people to have discovered and cultivated the cacao plant. They ground the cacao grains and mixed them with chilies, cornmeal and honey to create a drink called xocolatl.

Food distribution was maybe the highlight of the Maya economy. The most prominent activity was trade. For some reason, the Maya did not use burden animals nor wheeled vehicles. All goods that were traded were transported by Mayas on their backs.

The expansion and severe contraction periods of a great boom followed by periods of cyclical collapse characterize the history of Maya lowlands. Many theories about the disappearance of the Mayan civilization are counterposed, some researchers suggest that Mayas may have been down to environmental factors, starvation, dehydration, disease, social disintegration, climate conditions, migration, war and even some others think about the possibility of extraterrestrial intervention or other possible reasons. What do you think?

Pok ta Pok; The Mayan Ball Game
Athletes or Worshipers?

The Popol Vuh, the holy book of the Quiché Maya, relates a confrontation story between good and evil, represented with a ballgame. This Mesoamerican ballgame played a mysterious and very important role throughout pre-Hispanic civilizations, with a symbolic struggle between opposing forces, featuring an outcome governed by supernatural powers in conjunction with human skills and honor.

The Mesoamerican ball game was considered a sport  but mainly a ritual associated to worship,  and it was played for over 3000 years by the pre-Columbian civilizations of Mesoamerica .

There have been Pre-Columbian ball courts found throughout Mesoamerica. They vary considerably in size, but all have long narrow alleys with side-walls that sloped inward against, where the balls could bounce and hanging high on the walls there were stone rings. The largest ball court found so far measures 459 feet by 114 feet.

It is not certainly known how this Maya ball game was played but according to the most widespread version of it, the goal of the game was to pass the ball through one of the rings without touching it, the players needed to strike the ball with their hips. They used a solid rubber ball about 20 inches in diameter and weighed up to 4 kg (9 lbs) or more. It was extremely difficult to get the ball through a ring. In fact, when a player could achieve it, it was then the end of the game. The game ended otherwise when the ball touched the ground.

The sport was some times played for recreational purpose but major formal ball games were held as ritual events, often featuring human sacrifice.

The Mayan ball game was such a solemn experience with ritual importance where religious leaders, chieftains and other government leaders attended. Sacred songs and dances were performed as well as other religious activities.

Some theories say that the winners of the game were treated as heroes and given a great feast while the penalty for losing a game was death. The leader of the team who lost the game was harshly sacrificed.

According to Mayan beliefs, human sacrifice was necessary for obtaining continued success in agriculture, trade and general health.