20 Exploratory Essay Topics on Mayan Civilization

Mayan civilization is probably one of the most fascinating and intriguing cultures that ever existed on Earth. From its unclear origins to incredible scientific and artistic advances achieved by the Mayan culture at its peak to its sudden unexplainable demise – everything about it looks as if it was invented specifically to pique the curiosity of later generations.

Mayan civilization is a mind-boggling combination of seemingly incompatible elements. It never evolved past the Stone Age. Like all other Mesoamerican cultures, ancient Mayans never knew metalworking, the wheel and many other advances that most civilizations make relatively early in their development. Nevertheless, they managed to create architecture that took into account advanced factors such as stress and strain, astronomical and mathematical systems that were by far superior to anything that existed at the time and were far beyond their own needs. They could do sums up into the millions, predict movements of the planets for thousands of years ahead and were probably the first to define the concept of the mathematical zero. At the same time, they practiced brutal human sacrifices, ritual torture, bloodletting and cannibalism. Any and all of these aspects of their civilization can be used as a basis for an excellent exploratory essay – here are 20 sample Mayan civilization essay topics for you to start from:

1. Mass Exodus of the Maya: Possible Reasons
2. The Mayan Religion and Human Sacrifice
3. The Concept of Death in the Mayan Culture
4. The Significance of Bloodletting Ceremony in the Mayan Culture
5. Maya Calendar and the End of the World in 2012
6. Syncretic Religion of Modern Maya
7. The Ritual Ballgame and Its Importance for the Mayan Culture
8. The Idea of Cyclical Development in the Mayan Culture
9. Discovery of the Mayan Civilization by John Lloyd Stephens and Frederick Catherwood
10. Scientific and Cultural Achievements of the Mayan Civilization
11. The Written Legacy of the Mayan Civilization
12. The Economy of Ancient Mayan City-States
13. The Mayan Language and Preservation of the Mayan Culture
14. The Modern Maya: Keeping the Traditions of the Past
15. Maya Mythology and Its Connections with Other Mesoamerican Beliefs
16. Urban Design of Ancient Mayan Cities
17. Peculiarities of the Maya Script
18. Ancient Mayan Cuisine and Agriculture as a Reflection of the Culture
19. Methods of Human Sacrifice used by the Mayan Civilization and their Ritual Significance
20. Incredible Advances of Mayan Astronomy and Mathematics

As you may see, there is a lot you can say about the Mayan civilization, and since its discovery in the 19^th century a lot has been added to our knowledge about this ancient culture – which means that whatever topic you choose or create on your own, there is almost certain to be plenty of information you can use. Unhealthy fascination a lot of people had about the end of the world allegedly prophesized by the Mayan calendar to happen in 2012 did a lot to popularize Maya – which you can easily use to your own advantage.