A table showing the Comparative Analysis of two indigenous Meso American groups
Society
Politics
Tainos
Settlement villages
were established
near rivers and the
coast.
The houses were
built of thatch
The cacique lived
in a bohio whilst
the other natives
lived in a caneye
The cacique was
the leader of the
village settlement
or the large area.
The cacique was
the law maker as
while as the high
priest. The Tainos
depended in the
Cacique to make
all decisions on life
for them. The title
of cacique was
hereditary and
cases excited
where women
held the position.
Some famous
caciques across
the Caribbean
included
Guancaganari of
Ayti (Hispaniola)
Mayas
Settlements
known as city
states had large
populations. The
Mayas lived in
round huts. They
had spectacular
ceremonial
buildings and
grounds
The Mayan society
was divided into
ruling class,
working class and
merchant class.
The merchant
class or ppolms
played an
important role in
trade and spying.
Each city state was
governed by a
Halach Uinich. This
position was
hereditary. The
villages were
supervised by
minor chiefs
known as batabs.
The Mayas who
were military
strategists
appointed Nacoms
to act as Colonels
in Chiefs of each
military unit.
These Nacoms
were elected every
three years.
Religion
Trade,
Agriculture and
Food
Technology
and Hatuey in
Cuba.
The Tainos
worhsipped zemis
They were
polytheistic as the
Tainos had zemis
for every aspect of
life. The cacique
was the religious
leader of the
village and the
cacique was the
direct link to the
Zemis
They used tobacco
as a part of
religious
ceremonies.
The Tainos
believed Coyaba
was heaven
The Mayas
worshipped 166
gods
The Mayan Gods
represented spirits
of both good and
evil.
The Halach Uinich
was the supreme
priest whilst the ah
kin was the priests
who were main
figures in Mayan
culture. The Mayas
built large stone
pyramids with
temples at the
apex. They wrote
hieroglyphs to
record historical
events and used
the temples for
astrological
research.
- Slash and
The Mayas grew
Burn Method
enough to store
was used i.e. for the future and
Subsistence
also to trade. The
Farming
trade was
The Tainos grew
conducted by the
corn, cassava,
ppolms who also
cotton and
spied on the other
tobacco among
tribes. The Mayans
other crops. The
used cocoa beans
Tainos hunted
and bartering as
turtles, iguana, fish
trading
and agouti/ coney
implements/
currency.
Tainos used cotton
The Mayas
trees to make
developed a
canoes for fishing
calendar that had
and for transport
365 ¼ days to
across the river or
make up a year
on long voyages
and they had a
across the
complex system of
Caribbean Sea.
Mathematics that
They made pottery
and wove baskets
and clothing
materials. The
Tainos also used
petrogylphs to
record specific
events on the
walls of caves.
Ball Games
Batos was the
name of the ball
game played by
the Tainos for
recreation. It was
a hand ball game
used base 20 to
count. They used
steales to mark
significant events
in a decade.
Pyramids were
built for worship
and astrological
research. They
recorded events
using a series of
picture writing
known as
hieroglyphics.
The Mayan ball
game was called
pok – a – tok. The
players had to butt
the ball through
hoops set 10
metres from the
ground. The looser
would executed
after the match.