Additional Information
Your essay title shouldnotbe your research question. Instead, it should point toward your thesis. For example, if your research question was "Why was Sparta's military so effective?" your title could be something like "Sparta: Bred for War" or "Sparta's Warrior Society." Your thesis is the answer to your question and the title should point toward the thesis.
If you would like to change your topic and research question you can, but you must submit a new bibliography with your essay (same guidelines for the new bibliography).
this is theBibliography
Culture, religion, and politics of the Mayan civilization
Research question- What was Mayan Civilization made up of?
The Mayan Civilization reached to the apex in terms of the development of the 6th century AD. Furthermore, the political life of Mayan was mainly formed with a lot of city-states which the kings ruled and interconnected to a greatest hierarchy. It is needless to say that the Mayans had a pantheon of numerous steps temples; hundreds of gods, as well as it also offered ritual of blood sacrifices in order to offer the gods. The Lowland civilization of the Mayan started for constructing the dramatic pyramids that begin about in 900 BCE. Moreover, the cultural origins of these civilizations have been extremely uncertain, specifically the connection to the previous Olmec cultures with the Gulf of Mexico (
Sparks 2020, 13)
.
Throwing light on the above-mentioned Mayan culture is one of the most studied civilizations in the entire world. Furthermore, there are certain things that fascinated the researchers such as the astronomy, architecture, math and medicine because all of these are well renowned. The legacy of the ancient Mayans had inspired a lot of historical investigations for comprehending their way of living and why they left their majestic cities.
The religion of this civilization was polytheistic in nature which meant that they worshipped a lot of Gods which consisted of Itzam NA (Creator God), Ah Puch (death Gods), and also Buluc Chabtan (War God). Moreover, all of them practised animism, which is mainly the belief that all things consisted of in animating objects, had a soul (
Carrasco 2013, 55)
. In this book it has been highlighted that the transfer of the fiesta style toward the diaspora as well as the analysis in terms of the behind the scenes aspects of the rituals. The ascent of authority challenged translations of ethnic character, decisions about emblematic portrayal, and support of connections to towns of beginning all happen with regards to sorting out open ceremony occasions. This book will hold any importance with scholastic of humanities, history and social science (
Joyce 2013, 41)
.
It is the particular book that focuses Fixated on the particular Dominicans work among the Good country Maya concerning Guatemala in the a long time preceding the appearance of the Catholic Renewal in the late 16th century, the book centres around the different understandings of strict examinations — Hispano-Catholic and Maya — and their essential trades, reconfigurations, and opposition through contending endeavours of strict interpretation. Starts generally contextualizes Vico's philosophical composition inside both the more extensive arrangement of early writing in K'iche'an dialects and the scholarly movements between late archaic idea and early advancement, particularly the contending hypotheses of language, ethnography, and semiotics in the humanism of Spain and Mesoamerica at that point (
Wellmeier 2020, 22)
. Careful and unique, Revising Maya Religion fills in as an ethno historical outline for proceeded with concentrates on High country Maya strict images, talk, practices, and rationale tracing all the way back to the earliest reported proof. It will be of extraordinary importance to researchers of religion, ethno history, etymology, humanities, and Latin American history.
In case of politics it can be stated that the Mayans had developed a government which was hierarchical in nature and it was ruled by the priests and the kings. Moreover, they lived in the independent city-states that consisted of the ritual communities as well as the largest urban ceremonial centres (
Inomata 2013, 470)
.
Bibliography
Carrasco, David. Religions of Mesoamerica. Waveland Press, 2013.
Inomata, Takeshi, Daniela Triadan, Kazuo Aoyama, Victor Castillo, and Hitoshi Yonenobu. "Early ceremonial constructions at Ceibal, Guatemala, and the origins of lowland Maya civilization."
Science
340, no. 6131 (2013): 467-471.
Joyce, Thomas Athol. Mexican Archæology: an introduction to the Archæology of the Mexican and Mayan Civilizations of pre-Spanish America. Cambridge University Press, 2013.
Sparks, Garry G. Rewriting Maya religion: Domingo de Vico, k’iche’Maya intellectuals, and the Theologia indorum. University Press of Colorado, 2020.
Wellmeier, Nancy J. Ritual, identity, and the Mayan diaspora. Routledge, 2020.
this is theSource Analysis
Early Encounters: Assessing Evidence of Intercultural Dialogue in 16th Century Missionary and Maya Texts
The Primary Source which I have selected for this assignment is: “Sparks, Garry G. Rewriting Maya religion: Domingo de Vico, k’iche’Maya intellectuals, and the Theologia indorum. University Press of Colorado, 2020”
1. The author of this book review is Iris Gareis, a professor at Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany. Based on her position at the university, she likely has extensive expertise in Latin American and religious studies. She is reviewing the book "Rewriting Maya Religion" which was written by Garry G. Sparks, an associate professor and director of undergraduate programs in the Religious Studies Department at George Mason University. Sparks is the author of the original book being reviewed, and Gareis as the reviewer is summarizing and assessing his work. The book focuses on the interactions between early Catholic missionaries, specifically Dominican friar Domingo de Vico, and K'iche' Maya intellectuals in 16th century Guatemala during the early decades after Spanish contact and colonization.
2. This book review was published in 2020 in the academic journal International Journal of Latin American Religions. As a review published in a scholarly journal, it aims to summarize and evaluate the contents, arguments, sources, and contributions of the book being reviewed. Gareis as the reviewer provides an overview of Sparks' book, including its focus on Vico's writings such as the Theologia Indorum and their influence on Maya authors like Diego Reynoso. She also comments on Sparks' analysis of the complex cultural and religious dialogue revealed in these early colonial texts. As an academic book review, its purpose is to inform other scholars about the publication and assess its addition to the scholarly literature.
3. The key message of this review is that Vico's theological writings, especially the Theologia Indorum, provide important evidence of intercultural and interreligious exchanges between Catholic missionaries and Maya peoples in 16th century Guatemala. According to the review, Vico incorporated Mayan language and concepts into his writings, showing his efforts to engage with indigenous culture and religion. Meanwhile, Maya authors like Diego Reynoso who co-authored the Popol Vuj used and responded to Vico's texts, sometimes subtly and indirectly. Gareis summarizes Sparks' argument that this reveals a complex two-way cultural and religious dialogue, not just a straightforward imposition of Catholicism on indigenous peoples. The review emphasizes that Christian concepts were translated into Mayan language and thought in intricate ways.
4. As a book review published in an academic journal, the intended audience is other scholars with expertise related to the book's subject matter of Latin American religions, colonial history, cultural encounters, and indigenous peoples. The specialized vocabulary and references to academic debates indicate it is targeting an academic audience already familiar with this research area. The review was meant for public academic consumption to inform scholarly discourse by assessing a new publication.
5. Gareis wrote this review in order to summarize and evaluate the scholarship in Sparks' recently published book for other academics. Publishing the review provides an analysis of Sparks' sources, methods, and conclusions to advance scholarly debate. Gareis aims to inform readers about Sparks' work and how it contributes to academic literature on religious encounters during early Spanish colonialism. She is not arguing a specific position but rather assessing Sparks' book in a balanced way expected of an academic book review. Her analysis provides context for the book's origins and its place in broader academic conversations.
6. As a peer-reviewed academic book review published in a scholarly journal, this can be considered a credible and accurate source. Gareis brings expertise and authority as a professor able to critically analyze the scholarship in Sparks' work. However, reviews do contain the perspective and subjective analysis of the reviewer. While Gareis provides a balanced assessment, it remains her own perspective on Sparks' book rather than an entirely objective judgment. The informed critical analysis makes it a useful overview, but biases could still exist.
7. This review provides a valuable summary of Sparks' key arguments and evidence regarding the cultural and religious dialogue between Catholic missionaries and Maya peoples revealed in texts like Vico's Theologia Indorum. For researching religious encounters in 16th century Guatemala, this review would support analysis of how missionaries like Vico and indigenous authors engaged in complex intercultural exchange and mutual influence. It summarizes scholarly insights into how each side incorporated concepts from the other in their writings. The review highlights the two-way dialogue shown in these early texts, complicating notions of religious imposition by colonizers onto indigenous peoples.