Chapter 1: Sources of Maya History (pages 5-7/text)
Introduction
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Olmec, Maya, Aztec – not the original names
History of the Americas written by others
Geography – migration of peoples into the Americas
Maya and their ancestors still using knowledge passed down over twenty-thousand years
What is History?
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Story of Humankind
Part of the whole human experience
Time: Americas – white Europeans (5 minutes ago), Christianity (15 minutes ago) and
settlement in Mesopotamia (a little more than an hour ago)
How is history remembered? Written + oral
History is based on what we read and learn – it is not timeless and unchanging
Historians – examine the evidence + sources + interpretation
Primary (a document or artefact) and Secondary sources (a written report by an archaeologist)
Perspectives
Belizean History did not begin with the arrival of the Europeans
When Ancient Cities were flourishing here Europe was in the dark ages
Majority of Belizeans claim biological descent from Africa and Maya
Ways of communicating history:
Written history- is a concept describing the availability of a written record or some other form of
documented communication that can be used to support a specific historical narrative.
Oral tradition- is cultural material; history and tradition transmitted orally from one generation to
another. The messages or testimony are verbally transmitted in speech or song and may take the
form, for example, of folktales, sayings, ballads, songs, or chants.
Uses of history:
1.
History provides a sense of our own identity
2.
Helps us understand the present
3.
History is a corrective for misleading theories and lessons of the past
4. History enables us to understand the tendencies of human kind of social institutions and all aspects of the
human condition. (human nature)
5. History can help one develop tolerance and open mindedness (not considering people from the past as
crazy).
6.
History provides the basic background to any other disciplines.
7.
History can be entertaining
8.
The careful study of history teaches many critical skills.
Notes for History class (ym/ august 28/2013)
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Primary and secondary sources

A primary source is a document or physical object which was written or created during the
time under study. These sources were present during an experience or time period and offer
an inside view of a particular event. Some types of primary sources include:
ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS (excerpts or translations acceptable): Diaries, speeches,
manuscripts, letters, interviews, news film footage, autobiographies, official records.
CREATIVE WORKS: Poetry, drama, novels, music, art
RELICS OR ARTIFACTS: Pottery, furniture, clothing, buildings.

A secondary source interprets and analyzes primary sources. These sources are one or more
steps removed from the event. Secondary sources may have pictures, quotes or graphics of
primary sources in them. Some types of secondary sources include:
PUBLICATIONS:
encyclopedias
Textbooks,
magazine
articles,
histories,
criticisms,
commentaries,
Examples of secondary sources include: a journal/magazine article which interprets or reviews
previous findings, a history textbook, a book about the effects of WWI.
Civilizationrefers to polities or stat which combine three basic institutions- system of writing, a ceremonial center
and a city.
Characteristics of a civilization: cities, large population, complex social organizations, tribute/taxation,
long distance trade, division of labor, advanced sciences and technology.
The Spanish Conquistadors and Priests
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History of indigenous people written by outsiders – Conquistadors + Franciscan priests
Bernal Diaz – chronicler of Hernan Cortez wrote about the Maya of Yucatan “a lost tribe of the
Israelites”
Fray Lorenzo de Bienvenida (Franciscan Monk) made no connections to the marvels of Tihoo,
the City upon which Merida was built
Diego de Landa – auto de-fe famously destroyed countless Maya books known as codices in
the 1560s
The Priests saw indigenous religion as work of the devil
Colonial Maya never connected to their ancestors until nation building began in Mexico 1900s
Guatemala 1990s
Belize – beginning
1822 – interest in Maya sites revived (Lloyd Stephens and Catherwood)
Notes for History class (ym/ august 28/2013)
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