In the late period of the Mayan civilization, surrounding communities prosecuted the Mayan religion and caused Mayans to abandon their urban cities. The Mayan religion grew out of a need to secure a plentiful harvest. During most of the ceremonies, a person with a high position would make a human sacrifice and give blood to the gods. If the victim had a high position in the hierarchy, then the community expected larger amounts of blood sacrificed. In these religious sacrifices, the Mayan s thought that sacrificing humans would appease the gods, which would thus grant them abundant harvests.
Mayan culture is still prevalent in Mexico today.
The Popol Vuh , the Mayan s sacred book of cosmological legends, continues to provide Mexicans with a means to continue their ancient culture. The legends in the Popol Vuh are still performed today. Gonzalez notes that t he oral traditions, the hieroglyphic inscriptions, or the sacred book set forth an exemplary model, to be experienced, and continuously rendered current, by the community, as it simultaneously governed thoughts, conduct, and group and individual activities. Even though the European culture infested and changed the Mayans, the ancient civilization is still prevalent in present-day Mexico. Works Cited Hooker, Richard.