Location,+Environment,+Population,+and+Ethnicity

=﻿Location=

This page is going to discuss the location of the Mayans geographically speaking and how many were in each population. I will be discussing the importance of population to the society (its growth etc.) and how population differs in specific areas of the region. The environment also is very important as to why the Mayans located where they are and how the environment can affect the population and location of where the Mayans reside.

The Mayan culture presents a close connection with geography (lattitudes, longitudes, and parallels) and their location. The Mayans have many reasons and beliefs that contribute to why they are located in a specific region. I will discuss in detail some of the research I found. Mayans are primarily found in the region of Central America.
 * Location**
 * Mexico
 * Guatemala
 * El Salvador
 * Belize

According to Malmstrom (2008), the date of August 13, 3114 BCE is of high importance as to why the Mayans are located in the region of Central America. The atronomical importance of the grid mark 14.8 degrees lattitude is the exact location of where the sun set on August 13 marking the alignment and presenting the beginning of the world.

Another importance to the Mayans is availability of water. When they found this location, before they designated it their location they made sure that they were going to be able to receive the resources needed to live a stable life. The main use of the water went to domestic uses and for transport to getting other sources through trade with others. This availablity of water also marks the ceremonial center's location.

This picture presents the main water source that was found in the region when the Mayans located. This water source or //Aguada,// as they call it, is one of the ceremonial centers of the Mayan culture.

=Population=

The Maya population seems to be considerably influenced by water control for agricultural production. The population in the Mayan societies is crucial because for their agricultural production systems they need a certain population size in order to maintain the success of these production systems. According to Lucero (2002), maya civilization seemed to deviate from the many examples documenting the close relationship between the control of water and political power.

**Lowlands**
The Mayans who lived in the lowlands and tropical rainforests, had smaller amounts of issues. The reason they didn't have to deal with as many issues was because they were closer to natural water sources. These natural water sources in the lowlands helped a lot with maintaining successful growth during growing season and in the off-season. The lowlands helped incredibly when malnutrition and diseases came into effect in Mayan civilization. They helped because the lowlands had agrotechnology which helped decrease issues that were occurring within the Mayan society.

Mound Counts
According to Thompson (1971), mound counts have been the main method of determining how many Mayans are in one society. This method may not be useful in finding factual information because some of the rituals that the Mayans participate in when deaths occur in their society. When deaths occur in Mayan society they usually abandon the person by leaving them in their hut. The person will die and will remain in their hut, and the others who lived in that hut they would move to a different area or build another hut elsewhere, maybe even nearby. The huts are not difficult to build and are made out of bush, which makes it easier to build.

Agriculture and Population Size
The Mayans of the lowlands used lots of slash and burn agriculture to maintain their sufficient food supply. The type of agriculture used in each society is very important in establishing population size. In each society a certain population size is necessary because of how many people needed to maintain certain types of agriculture. The quota of food supply needs to be established as well to make sure that the society can maintain stability. Food supply has to reach quota and if it doesn't can't create a huge problem for the society if they are not able to produce a certain amount of food for their society and to sell for other values and money.

The Mayan society uses many different types of agriculture depending on which region they live:
 * Slash and Burn- Lowlands
 * Shifting and Field Culitvation- Tropical Regions

These are the two main types agriculture used in the Mayan society. Shifting and Field Cultivation are more intensive and extensive uses of agriculture, requiring a higher population. Whereas, slash-and-burn agriculture is less intensive and requiring a smaller population.

=﻿Environment=

Farming
The Maya rulers faced many difficulties with political issues regarding political authority about who has authority over their agricultural techniques. Terracing is one of the other agricultural techniques the Mayans use and requires an available source of water a good portion of the year. The political authorities usually take power over the water sources and usually do not divide up the contributions easily. Most times the agriculture techniques are using unnatural water sources which requires division in use of these man-made water sources. According to Lucero (2002), farmers lived dispersed in farmsteads throughout noncenter or hinterland areas, mirroring the patchlike distribution of fertile land. According to Lucero (2002), other farmers lived near or in centers, where they may not have stayed during the labor-intensive rainy seasons, especially if their fields were at some distance, requiring the use of field houses. Maya farmers also used a combination of agricultural techniques such as house-gardens, short-fallow infields, long-fallow outfields which mainly grew beans, squash, and maize. The farmers also used certain types of agricultural techniques that used a little more intensive farming such as, raised fields, dams, canals, and terraces.

Dry Season
The four-month annual drought usually comes during the months of January through May. Regions started discovering issues lacking rivers and lakes to provide them the water sources they need. According to Lucero (2002), the lack of surface water for four months every year required the Maya to devise ways to store water, rather than concentrate people through dependence on agricultural techinologies. Many of the Maya rulers developed their main concentration towards a vital resource, drinking water. According to Lucero (2002), the //nymphaea ampla,// are sensitive hydrophytic plants that can only grow in shallow (1-3 meter), clean, still water that is not too acidic and does not have too much algae or too much calci. um. When the Maya noticed the coming of these flowers they realized that the water was clean and safe to drink. The presence of these flowers were most likely to come and were most important in the dry season as clean water was lacking.

Wet Season
Majority of the regions in which the Mayans live the termperature is very hot and most times humid. According to Lucero (2002), the Mayans usually get about 1,500 millimeters of rain-fall annually. The wet-season is usually for a few months June through December with peaks in June and September. The moisture in the soils dramatically increase over the wet season and give the terraces extra water to help their plants grow. The water lilies are still seen in the wet season, which is helpful, as I described above, that they symbolize clean and healthy water. Saturated hillsides of the terraces, during the rainy season likely poses issues and influenced building plans and agricultural practices.

Terracing
Maya lowlands use terracing as a main type of intensive agriculture. The land is great for terracing because it has the right type of soil needed for a successful group of terraces. According to Beach (2002), Maya terracing started in the Early Classic period (A.D. 600-900) and spread across the lowlands with the great population expansion of the Lake/Terminal Classic Period. Terraces are developed in area that are sloped and are used when plants need to grow with extra-moisturized soil. Terraces are used when a society has larger populations and use intensive agriculture. Terracing also helped the Mayans use areas of land that had thinner soils, and transform the soil into a greater used. Wetland agriculture was very useful in the Tropical Regions of Mayan Societies.

This picture is taken in Guatemala and shows what the Terracing looks like as they are being built. This is the middle stage of the construction of Terracing.