Indigenous Cultures
by Laurie Sanford & Ethan Bivens
Religion
The Mayan people have religion as a part of their everyday life. The worship man different Gods. They do things such as pray, fast, and hold ceremonies. They sacrifice many things to the Gods. The Mayans would build pyramids that their priests would climb on top of and perform ceremonies. Most Mayans are nominally Christian, with a Roman Catholic majority and a growing Protestant minority. In Mayan religion there are many traditions and different ways to celebrate things. For example, a ceremony called Hetzmek is performed when a baby is carried on the mothers hip for the very first time. For girls Hetzmek is held for them at three months of age. For guys the ceremony is held at 4 months. Mayan people are deeply religious and practice their religion everyday.
Government
The Mayan civilization was organized as a network of city-states, with each state being ruled by a hereditary monarchy. The King served as both the chief political authority and semi divine figure. The King's chief duties were religious and military related.
Judicial Process
Becoming a judge or a member in government is in the blood of the person trying to become apart of the government. If you have a family member working in the government you will most likely work there too. My judicial decisions were based on social class and property. Now, judges were appointed by community leaders. Hard evidence is also needed in order to prove someone guilty, once proven guilty they are to work and help with the community instead of going to jail.
Experiences with Modern Civilization
As the world evolves the Mayans are faced with new ways in life of getting things done. The world grew gaining more technology that Mayans have learned how to use. Although now we have many ways to do tasks now, Mayans have kept their traditions and some of their own ways of doing life.