Maya Women
Many people have asked throughout time and everywhere in the Maya world about the role of women in ancient Maya societies. As in all societies, certainly, women were important. The played some vital roles that helped ancient Maya societies thrive. For example:
- They were rulers, as in the case of Lady 6 Sky of Naranjo. They were certainly important for political alliances, such as the one with Calakmul and Caracol through Lady Batz Ek.
- There has been some representation on art panels of women ball game players in the Tabasco and Campeche, Mexico areas.
- They served in many cases as ritual conductors, especially fertility rituals
- There is no secret that Maya women were some of the best weavers in the world
There is also no secret that Maya women were some of the best potters in the world
Ritual Intoxicants
The ancient Maya Kings, priests and Royalty went into trance every time they participated in rituals on behalf of their people. After all ancestor worship and the marking of time were two major areas of reverence they invested in. Many people have asked what the ancient Maya used to get to that trance plane where they would certainly communicate with their ancestors and gods. The following are a few of the intoxicants they ingested to get to the metaphorical sky of thought:
- Native tobacco, which gave a major nicotine rush
- Trumpet leaves (from the trumpet tree – Cecropia peltata)
- XIbalba Okox – underground mushroom
- Toad glands (intoxicating sap)
- Ritual enema’s (Balche – fermented corn)
Maya Subsistence
To survive, the ancient Maya organized what Dr. Jared Diamond of UCLA refers to as the greatest invention in agriculture in a tropical space: slash-and-burn/swidden/Milpa system. They did not only farm, they also were invested in animal husbandry where they raised turkeys, wild boars, deer, stingless bees, and the dog to name a few animals. They also traded for foodstuff that they did not immediately have access.
Terracing. (Credit: Jeffrey Jay Fox)
Extensive and intensive farming were the two most used systems of their agriculture. The former, requires a substantial amount of land (it is important to make known here that this form is still applied to the forests and fields in Central America today). The latter system was organized around raised fields and alluvial valleys with substantial terracing. Terraces captured sediments, as they would flow down hill with rainfall. On these fields the Maya subsided on corn, beans and squash – which was considered the nutrition “trinity” – macal (potato-like tuber), chilis, avocado, tomato, amaranth, jicama, all spice, cilantro, cacao, kinep, mamie apple, yuca (cassava), chaya and cilantro to name a few.
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