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The Maya believed that their gods were appeased by the spilling of human blood, so numerous rituals were developed that ranged from bloodletting by individuals to human sacrifice conducted on an industrial scale. Central to the Maya blood rituals was the warrior class, who were largely responsible for procuring victims to be sacrificed high on pyramid-temples across the Maya lands. The Maya warriors were extremely effective in their tasks because they were driven by a strong set of religious beliefs, followed a strict code, and were extremely fit due to their training and diet.
====A Brief Background of Maya Culture====
[[File: Distribution-myn.png|300px|thumbnail|left|Map Showing the Distribution of Maya Culture in Green]]
The people who spoke variations of the Maya language and were therefore considered to be part of the Maya culture, inhabited what are now the modern nation-states of southern Mexico, Guatamala, Honduras, and Belieze from about 1500 BC until AD 1600 with the highpoint being from about AD 250 until 925. <ref> Coe, Michael D. <i>The Maya.</i> 7th ed. (London: Thames and Hudson, 2005), p. 10</ref> Although the Maya were the most sophisticated culture in their particular geographic region, they were just one of many advanced cultures in the region of Central America – referred to by scholars as “Mesoamerica” – before the arrival of Europeans in the sixteenth century. Before the Maya were dominant in Mesoamerica, the Olmecs developed a complex society and after the Maya influence waned, the Aztecs became the most powerful group in the region. Contemporary with the Maya was the Toltec culture, which was clustered around cities in what would today be central Mexico.
Unlike the later Aztecs, the Maya were never able to unify their entire culture under one government. Maya culture was essentially a collection of city-states – Tikal, Chichen Itza, and Bonampak were three of the most prominent Maya cities – that waged war on each other incessantly for the acquisition of resources. Among the most prized of all resources were human captives, who were used in elaborate human sacrifice rituals meant to appease the many Maya deities. No individual was safe from being a human sacrifice victim either, as demonstrated by the King of Copán, who was captured by a rival king and sacrificed in AD 738. <ref> Webster, p. 90</ref> It was the religious beliefs that led to the institutionalization of human sacrifice in Maya society and also provided the core value system for the Maya warriors.
====The Spiritual Beliefs of the Maya Warrior====
[[File: Stela_of_Mayan_Warrior.jpg|300px|thumbnail|right|Stela of a Maya Warrior]]
The Maya religion was very similar to many pre-modern cultures’ spiritual systems in that it was polytheistic and ritually based. The Maya pantheon had up to 166 deities with a few of the most important being the following: Itzamnaaj, the creator and god of writing and science; Kukulkan, who was the god of the nobles; and Hun Ixim, the maize/corn god. <ref> Coe, p. 214-17</ref> One of the most common attributes among the Maya deities was a desire for human blood. Maya blood rituals took many forms – from the blood-letting that the nobles performed on themselves to the more well-known act of human sacrifice. Since the act of human sacrifice played such an important role in Maya society, those who captured the victims were given special status.
One of the Maya warriors’ primary functions was to capture sacrifice victims for their particular city-state. Raids were conducted on opposing city-states and when a successful war-band returned to their city with captives, they were showered with praise and material goods by the nobles. During large religious festivals, where mass human sacrifice was a public spectacle, the warrior elite would lead their captive to the priests to be ritually killed. <ref> Coe, p. 222</ref> The nature of Maya religion clearly gave the warriors incentive to perform because the better one did, the more esteemed he was in the eyes of the nobility. Closely tied to Maya religion was the warrior code, which further propelled the Maya warriors.
====The Maya Warrior Code====
[[File: Reliefs_in_Chichén_Itzá.jpg|300px|thumbnail|left|Relief from Chichen Itza Featuring a Skull]]
In order to understand the Maya warrior code, it is helpful to first understand that their military was actually much more complex than most people may realize. Each city-state had its own army, but the structure and hierarchy in each city was fairly similar. At the head of each war band was a chief, known as a <i>nacom</i>, who was elected to a three year term by the other warriors. Most of the warriors were <i>holcans</i>, who were full-time, professionals. <ref> Webster, p. 79</ref> Besides the actual system, and more important than it, were the actual values and beliefs that the average Maya warrior followed.
====Maya Diet and Training====The most effective armies throughout world history have all been fit, both mentally and physically. Modern science has seemingly given the edge to contemporary armies in terms of physical fitness, but pre-modern societies were much more effective in that regard than most people may think. In terms of the Maya military, their diet and physical training were closely intertwined and also connected to their religion. Protein, which is essential to build muscles and to stay physically fit, is usually consumed today in the forms of meat, fish, and poultry. Since there were no bovines in Mesoamerica and few animals of significant size, the Maya were forced to get their meet from a combination of deer, peccary, and dogs, but most of their proteins were consumed from beans and legumes. <ref> White, Christin B, Paul F. Healy, and Henry P. Schwarez. “Intensive Agriculture, Social Values, and Maya Diet at Pacbitun, Belize.” <i>Journal of Anthropological Research.</i> 49 (1993) pgs. 351-2</ref> But the intent of the diet and exercise regime of a Maya warrior was not to “bulk up,” it was meant to give the individual energy for long runs. Since the Maya did not have horses or any other pack bearing animals, the warriors would usually have to go on 5k runs or longer just to attack a city. Because of their physical requirements, the diet of the Maya warrior was unusually high in carbohydrates. Since maize/corn was plentiful in the region, it was the food most consumed, giving the warriors plenty of energy to attack enemy cities. <ref> White, et el., p. 365</ref> The results of the Maya diet enabled the full-time warriors to train on a daily basis by practicing mock battles and jogging around their cities. The combination of the diet and training gave the Maya warriors sleek body types that enabled them to run long distances and fight on the same day. Maya warriors often surprised their enemies in stealth raids with light weapons, which required stamina more than strength. <ref> Webster, p. 80</ref>
====Conclusion====The most effective armies throughout world history have all been fit, both mentally and physically. Modern science has seemingly given the edge to contemporary armies in terms of physical fitness, but pre-modern societies were much more effective in that regard than most people may think. In terms of the Maya military, their diet and physical training were closely intertwined and also connected to their religion. Protein, which culture is essential to build muscles and to stay physically fit, is usually consumed known today in the forms of meat, fish, and poultry. Since there were no bovines in Mesoamerica and few animals of significant size, the Maya were forced to get their meet from for a combination of deer, peccary, and dogs, but most of their proteins were consumed from beans its beauty and legumesviolence. <ref> White, Christin B, Paul F. Healy, and Henry P. Schwarez. “Intensive Agriculture, Social Values, and Maya Diet at Pacbitun, Belize.” <i>Journal of Anthropological Research.</i> 49 (1993) pgs. 351-2</ref> But At the intent heart of the diet and exercise regime of a Maya warrior was not to “bulk upculture,” making it was meant to give function on a daily basis, were the individual energy for long runsMaya warriors. Since the The Maya did not have horses or any other pack bearing animals, the warriors would usually have to go on 5k runs or longer just to attack enjoyed a city. Because of special place in their physical requirements, the diet of the Maya warrior was unusually high society because they were very effective in carbohydratestheir craft. Since maize/corn was plentiful in the region, it was the food most consumed, giving the The warriors plenty protected their city-states from invasions and constantly ventured out on behalf of energy their kings to attack enemy cities. <ref> White, et el., p. 365</ref> The results of the Maya diet enabled the full-time warriors bring back war captives to train be sacrificed on a daily basis by practicing mock battles and jogging around altars for their citiesgods. The combination effectiveness of the diet and training gave the Maya warriors sleek body types that enabled them can be traced to run long distances and fight on the same dayseveral aspects of their society. Maya warriors often surprised their enemies in stealth raids with light weaponsreligion, which required stamina more than strength. <ref> Websterheld human sacrifice as one of its most important rituals, pformed the backbone of Maya warrior thought. 80</ref>
====References====
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