Mayan Civilization Understanding the characteristics that make up civilizations is fundamental to understanding and learning history. Whether ancient or modern, these characteristics, even if they vary slightly in a given civilization, demonstrate the many commonalities that groups of people share, regardless of whether they ever came into contact with each other. Some features that make the Maya a civilization include its large city infrastructures such as the cities of Tikal and Chichen Itza and also its religion which was polytheistic and performed live sacrifices. The Maya also had a strong government of over 100 city-states and a social class system that ranged from king to slave. Finally, the stepped pyramids that were built as temples are considered public works/places of worship, along with this is a writing system made up of over 8,000 symbols. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayThe Maya, through their work, show us the main characteristics that make them a civilization. First of all through their immense cities and the complexity of their religion. The most important cities of the Maya were Chichen Itza and Tikal, these cities at the time were almost many times larger than their European counterparts. A typical city was rarely laid out in an orderly grid and was divided into a rural community or a large ceremonial center; these cities were usually built along side pyramids, palaces, and house mounds built around a courtyard. The Mayan religion was polytheistic and based on nature and astrology, some of their gods are Itzamná (Fire/Earth) and Kukulcán (Feathered Serpent). The Mayans also believed in live human and animal sacrifices because they thought this was the only means of communication with the gods and a way to receive blessings. Secondly, they show us their strong central government which was ruled by kings as independent city states and their social classes which ranged from kings to slaves. At the height of the Mayan Empire, it was divided into over 100 independent city-states, each ruled by a king considered a communicator between the gods and the people. This type of government was ruled by kings, nobles elected to a council, and priests sought for decision-making advice. With every civilization there is a social class, the Mayans were no different. Here the social class was divided into 5 groups; The king, a council, nobles, merchants/artisans, and commoners (slaves and peasants). Finally, the Maya show us their public works such as the stepped pyramids and their complex writing system composed of over 8,000 symbols. . The Maya's major public work included the construction of more than 600 stepped pyramids and what are now considered the best roads of the ancient world. These stepped pyramids are thought to be built of limestone blocks and used for both sacrificial rituals and ceremonies. Finally, the Maya had a very complex writing system that consisted of intricate symbols and hieroglyphs. This writing system included over 8,000 symbols that were used in everyday life to express emotions or write history. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay The Mayan civilization that lasted from about 1800 BC to 900 AD had all the characteristics a society needs to be considered a civilization. First, the Maya had two major cities; Tikal and Chichen Itza, which were larger than any European city at the time and also had a complex polytheistic religion that performed human and live animal sacrifices. Secondly, this empire.