They Built Pyramids to Reflect Astronomical Events The paint would give their holy buildings a mystical appearance during the day. It is believed that they painted their sacred temples with mica in order to make them sparkle in the sun. In 2008, scientists discovered large traces of mica, a shiny glittery material, while analyzing a Mayan temple in Honduras. They Used Glitter to Make Their Temples Shine They were also responsible for other popular foods such as guacamole, corn tortillas, micheladas, and tamales. When the Spaniards got to Central America, they adapted the drink and added sugar and milk to make it taste better. The Mayans saw cacao as a sacred fruit sent to them by the gods, and even used it as currency. Instead, they drank their chocolate straight up as part of religious ceremonies.
They didn’t make M&Ms or Snickers bars, nor did they add milk or sugar to make the cacao taste sweeter. For instance, the Mayans were the first to take out the seeds of cacao and toast them to make hot chocolate.
That is some serious ball! They Developed Some of Our Favorite FoodsĪ lot of today’s favorite foods were developed in the ancient Maya world. The game consisted of passing this ball around without it touching your hands, and then getting it to pass through a small basketball-like hoop. They used a heavy eight-pound rubber ball with a human skull in the center of it. The winning team kept their lives, and the losing team were sacrificed to the gods and got to spend eternity in the Underworld.īall players wearing jade necklaces, little protective gear and scary face paint would step out into hard stone courts seeking victory. Forget about golden medals and million dollar contracts – the Mayans competed for their right to live. Researchers believe that the first organized team ball game in history was held there by the Mayans. Tikal National Park in Guatemala, the largest excavated site in the entire American continent, houses five ancient ball courts that date back more than 3000 years. Matches were life or death competitions accompanied by complex religious rituals. These people were serious about their games, deadly serious. Today’s sports fans have nothing on the Mayans. We rarely think about the origins of these organized games, which date back thousands of years to the subtropical regions of Central America. When we think of sports, some of the first things that come to mind are ball games such as football and basketball, cheerleaders, and expensive halftime shows. They Invented the First Organized “Ball Game”
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