Sunday, November 1, 2015

Pablo Picasso Facts

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Picasso’s Name Was So Long that Even He Probably Had Trouble Remembering It


Pablo Picasso facts reveal that the great artist had a very long name. His full name was Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso. In addition to his first name and family name, Picasso’s full name consisted of multiple other names honoring various relatives and saints – a courtesy of his Catholic parents Don José Ruiz y Blasco and María Picasso y López. When Pablo shortened it, he chose to retain just his mother’s surname. He thought it suited him better since it was an Italian surname and thus unusual in his home country of Spain.


Picasso’s Work Is Often Categorized into Separate Periods


Pablo Picasso facts show that the famous painter constantly changed his painting style, which is also the reason that his work is categorized into separate main periods. As a teenager, Picasso mostly painted realistic portraits and landscapes, but his interests switched in the beginning of the 20th century, bringing his Blue Period (1901 – 1904), Rose Period (1904 – 1906) and the African-influenced Period (1907 – 1909). This led to the most fruitful period of his artistic life – Cubism (Analytic Cubism from 1909 to 1912 and Synthetic Cubism, also known as the Crystal Period, from 1912 to 1919). In his later life, Picasso even followed Neoclassicism and incorporated various other influences into his works, such as Surrealism, Expressionism, Post-Impressionism and Symbolism.


Picasso Showcased His Talent From a Very Early Age


Pablo Picasso facts show that the boy who would go on to become one of the best-known artists in the world was interested in art (specifically drawing) from a very early age. His mother even revealed that his first words were “piz, piz”, which was short for lápiz, the Spanish word for pencil. Since Pablo’s father was a painter himself, he started training his son when he reached the age of seven. According to an often-told fact about Picasso’s life, when his father realized that young Pablo had surpassed his own skill at the age of 13, he vowed to give up painting for good (in reality, he did no such thing since his paintings from later years exist).


Picasso Produced an Incredible 50,000 Artworks


Although most of his artworks are nowhere near as famous as a select few most people are familiar with, Pablo Picasso facts reveal that he produced around 50,000 artworks over the course of his life. His most important artistic contribution to the world was of course his paintings, and he produced 1,885 of these in his lifetime. In addition to this, he also created 1,228 sculptures, 2,880 ceramics, more than 12,000 drawings, and thousands of prints as well as various tapestries and rugs. His artistic career lasted for nearly 80 years, which means that, on average, he managed to create over 600 artworks each year, or nearly 2 every single day of his career…


Picasso Was an Accomplished Writer as well as a Painter and Sculptor


Most of us know Pablo Picasso as an amazing painter and sculptor, but Pablo Picasso facts reveal that the famous man had various other talents and did not spend every moment of his life painting. One of these talents was writing, and Picasso had been involved in various literary circles ever since his early adulthood. Despite this, he did not produce any writing of his own until he was in his fifties. In his writing opus, we can find poetry and plays, most of them surrealistic and highly unusual. One of his plays, the Desire Caught by the Tail, was performed (read, as Picasso never meant for any of his works to be staged, only read) by various spectacular artists of the 20th century, including Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir and Albert Camus.


A good example of his unusual writing style can be found below, in an excerpt from his 1937 artwork, the Dream and Lie of Franco:
silver bells & cockle shells & guts braided in a row

a pinky in erection not a grape & not a fig..

casket on shoulders crammed with sausages & mouths

rage that contorts the drawing of a shadow that lashes teeth

nailed into sand the horse ripped open top to bottom in the sun..


Picasso’s Paintings Still Rank among the Priciest in the World


Various Picasso paintings still rank among the most expensive paintings in the world, making Picasso one of the most cherished painters in history. For example, Garçon à la pipe (“Boy with a Pipe”) was sold for $104 million at Sotheby’s in May 2004, Dora Maar au Chat (“Dora Maar with Cat”) for $95.2 million at Sotheby’s in May 2006, and Nu au Plateau de Sculpteur (“Nude, Green Leaves and Bust”) for $106.5 million at Christie’s in May 2010. But all of his previous records – and those of other painters too – were broken in May 2015, when his 1955 Les Femmes d’Alger (“Women of Algiers”) sold for $179.3 million in an auction at Christie’s in New York.


Picasso Was Often Harassed by the Gestapo during World War II


Pablo Picasso facts show that the great painter remained in Paris during World War II and also during the entire Nazi occupation of the city. Since his artistry didn’t quite fit in with the Nazi ideal of art, he had no exhibitions during this time and was often harassed by the Gestapo. It was during one of these Gestapo harassments that an officer saw a photograph of Picasso’s famous painting Guernica in his apartment (depicting violence and suffering of people, and inspired by the 1937 bombing of Guernica) and asked Picasso if he had done that. Picasso calmly replied, “No, you did.”


Picasso’s Lifestyle Was Fairly Promiscuous


As with many artists of the time, Pablo Picasso lived a very promiscuous and hedonistic lifestyle, which brought him numerous short-term relationships with women, who often took the role of mistress while Picasso was married or in a serious relationship. Among a long list of Picasso’s lovers, the following women were the most important (and famous) parts of the great artist’s life: his first love Fernande Olivier; his first wife and mother of his first child, Olga Khokhlova; the mother of his first daughter Marie-Thérèse Walter (who was 17 at the time they met; Picasso was 46); Dora Maar (the model for Picasso’s famous painting Dora Maar au Chat); the mother of two of his children, Françoise Gilot (who was 21 when they met; Picasso was 61); and his second wife, Jacqueline Roque (who was 27 at the time, while Picasso was 79).


Picasso Died while Having Dinner with His Friends


Picasso died on April 8, 1973 in the village of Mougins in France, at the age of 91. He died while entertaining his friends for dinner together with his second wife Jacqueline Roque.

His final words were, “Drink to me, drink to my health, you know I can’t drink any more.” His death was too much for his ex-mistress Marie-Thérèse Walter, who hanged herself four years after his death, and for his second wife Jacqueline, who shot herself 13 years after his death.


Guernica Is Picasso’s Most Famous Work


Guernica is without a doubt Pablo Picasso’s most famous painting. It is not just an amazing artwork, but a powerful political statement – Picasso’s reaction to the German bombing of Guernica in 1937 (during the Spanish Civil War). It is a depiction of the tragedies of war and the vast suffering it inflicts on innocent civilians. As such, it has become an anti-war symbol and an embodiment of peace. Guernica is a mural-size canvas painted in oil; it is painted in grey, black and white colors, measures 11 feet tall and 26 feet wide, and currently resides in the Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid. The painting was commissioned by the Spanish Republican Government for the Spanish contribution to the International Exposition dedicated to Art and Technology in Modern Life at the 1937 World’s Fair in Paris.


Picasso Was Once Accused of Stealing the Mona Lisa


On August 11, 1911, a great shock hit the art world – the most famous painting in the world, Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, was stolen from the Louvre. A French newspaper offered a reward for any information relating to the bold theft, and a man who claimed to know something soon appeared. He had supposedly stolen a few statues himself from the Louvre a few years back for the poet Guillaume Apollinaire, who in turn sold them to Pablo Picasso. Picasso, not even 30 years old at the time, was taken to court, but denied any knowledge that the statues were stolen and any connection to the Mona Lisa theft. Since there was absolutely no real evidence that would connect Picasso to the theft, the charges were soon dropped.


Two years later, the real thief was discovered – a former guard at the Louvre going by the name of Vincenzo Peruggia. He was caught trying to sell the famous painting to an art dealer. Although he confessed to the crime, claiming that he wanted to bring the Mona Lisa back to her home of Italy, many people continued to believe (and still do) that Picasso was somehow involved in the daring theft…


Picasso Was Once So Poor that He Had to Keep Himself Warm by Burning His Paintings


Although Picasso’s paintings now sell for millions, Pablo Picasso facts reveal that he was very poor during certain periods of his life. In his early twenties (in his Blue Period at the beginning of the 20th century), life was especially rough for him: one of his close friends had recently committed suicide, and Picasso’s works were only rarely bought, so he lived in extreme poverty. At times, he was so desperate that he was forced to burn some of his artwork in order to keep warm and survive. His feelings and life situation at that time are clearly visible in his Blue Period paintings – they often depict poor and suffering people.


Picasso’s Blue Period Was Marked by Blue and Blue-Orange Shades of Color


Where did Picasso’s early era of painting, known as the Blue Period, and which lasted from 1901 until 1904, get its name? From the color blue, of course! His paintings of this period were very somber, and painted in cold blue and blue-green shades that only seldom saw the addition of warmer colors, usually in the form of blue-orange shades. During this time, Picasso lived on the road from Barcelona to Paris, so experts are not sure where exactly his Blue Period started. Beggars, prostitutes, blind people and broken mothers were central to most of his artworks of the time, including the well-known La Vie, which can nowadays be seen in the Cleveland Museum of Art.


In His Rose Period, Picasso Adopted a More Cheerful Style


Pablo Picasso facts reveal that the great painter, after his gloomy Blue Period, started painting in a more cheerful style with many orange and pink colors, after which his second major period of painting is named – the Rose Period. His artistry of this period was full of circus people, acrobats and harlequins (traditional comic servant characters from Italian theatre), and the latter also became his personal symbol. His more cheerful style is often also attributed to Fernande Olivier, a young bohemian French artist, and Picasso’s first real love.


Picasso Also Had a Short African-Influenced Period


Pablo Picasso facts also reveal that the famous painter found inspiration for his art in African culture during a short period of his life. The artistry of this period, known as Picasso’s African Period or the Black Period, was heavily influenced by African sculpturing, especially traditional African masks. Paris was full of African art at that time, so Picasso certainly had plenty of opportunities to explore it. The most famous painting from the African Period is Les Demoiselles d’Avignon (“The Young Ladies of Avignon”), which can be seen in the Museum of Modern Art in New York.


Picasso Was Considered a Stillbirth at the Time of His Birth


The world could have easily been deprived of all the beauty Picasso created in his works of art, since he was believed to have been stillborn at the time of his birth. His mother had an extremely difficult birth and the baby Pablo looked extremely weak, so the midwife present at the birth just left him lying on the table and tended to his mother instead. Luckily for Pablo, his uncle, Don Salvador, was also present at the birth. Don Salvador was a doctor, but it was not his medical knowledge that saved the baby Pablo; it was his cigar, a popular accessory of doctors at the time. When Don Salvador blew smoke into Pablo’s face, he responded with a grimace and a bellow of fury, letting them all know he was alive.


Picasso Was Strongly Opposed to the Spanish Dictator Franco


Pablo Picasso facts show that he was an active opponent of the infamous Spanish dictator General Francisco Franco. Picasso was a supporter of the Republic, which was overthrown by Franco’s military revolt, so it is no surprise that he spoke out against Franco’s regime on various occasions. His contempt for the dictator who overtook his homeland is clearly seen in many of his artworks, most notably in the famous Guernica from 1937 and The Dream and Lie of Franco from the same year. Picasso unfortunately didn’t live long enough to see Franco’s regime fall, as Franco died in November 1975, approximately two and a half years after Picasso.


Picasso Spent Most of His Life Outside of His Home Country


Starting in his early youth, Picasso was forced to move around quite a lot. He left his hometown of Malaga in southern Spain for La Coruña, La Coruña for Barcelona, Barcelona for Madrid and then vice-versa: Madrid for Barcelona. In his early twenties, he settled in Paris permanently, never to live in the General Franco-dictated Spain again. He didn’t even leave Paris when it was occupied by the Nazi Germans during World War II. Eventually he did leave the city, but only in his later years when he bought a few villas in the south of France, where he lived and painted until the end of his life.


Picasso Became a Communist Later on in His Life


Many people don’t know that Pablo Picasso became a communist in his sixties, during World War II. He joined the French Communist Party in 1944, shortly after the liberation of Paris from Nazi rule, and his explanation for his decision was a short and simple one. He stated, “I have found there all whom I respect most, the greatest thinkers, the greatest poets and all the faces of the resistance fighters.” Some of his (controversial) works from that period include the “Massacre in Korea”, portraying US soldiers attacking pregnant women and children, and a portrait of Stalin. Despite joining the Communist Party, he was not always a supporter of communism and the Soviet Union – in 1956, for example, he signed a protest letter condemning the Soviet invasion of Hungary.


Picasso’s Paintings Are Very Popular Among Art Thieves


Pablo Picasso facts reveal a simple truth: more of his paintings have been stolen than any other artist in history. While this is certainly not the best thing that could have happened, it is a clear sign of how highly his artwork is valued on the market. Nearly 1,200 of his works are listed as stolen, missing or disputed, including Le pigeon aux petits pois,which was stolen during the infamous 2010 Paris Museum of Modern Art heist – one of the most daring (and most costly) art thefts in history.



Pablo Picasso Facts — Facts about Pablo Picasso Summary


Pablo Picasso FactsPablo Picasso, whose full name was Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso, was born in Malaga, Spain, on October 25, 1881. He showed his talent for art at a very young age and was encouraged by his father, who was also a painter. Picasso left his homeland in his early twenties, settling in the then center of the art world – Paris. He remained in France until his death in 1973, at the very respectable age of 91, so most of his art was created in France. His style and interests changed greatly over the course of his career, and his work is typically divided into various periods, starting with the Blue Period in the beginning of the 20th century. In addition to being one of the greatest painters of all time, Picasso also exhibited a talent for other forms of art, including writing poetry and plays.



Pablo Picasso Facts

Mayan Facts

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K’iche’ is the Most Spoken Mayan Language with 2.3 Million Speakers


Although most people know Mayans only for their powerful ancient civilization, Mayan facts show that the language of Mayans is still present in the modern world. Around 2.3 million people still speak a language called K’iche’, which is the most widely spoken of nearly 30 Mayan languages that are spoken in Guatemala, Mexico, Belize and Honduras. All these languages descend from Proto-Mayan – a theoretical language that was supposedly spoken in the region more than 5,000 years ago and was reconstructed by 20th century linguists from modern Mayan languages and classic Mayan inscriptions.


The Lives of Mayan People Were Centered around Religion


Mayan facts show that life in the great Maya civilization centered around religion, which had an important effect on many other areas of life. The modern Maya religion, which is still practiced nowadays in Guatemala, Belize, western Honduras and some areas of Mexico, has been influenced by Roman Catholicism over the centuries and is quite a bit different from the ancient Maya religion that is millennia old. The old Maya religion is responsible for many great achievements of the Mayan civilization, including the in(famous) Mayan calendar and spectacular pyramids.


The Mayans Had over 150 Gods in Their Complex Religion


Mayan facts reveal that the ancient Maya religion is very complex, having over 150 gods who are each clearly defined by their characteristics and purposes. Five of these gods were worshipped very often according to ancient texts, and are thus considered to be the most important ones. The first is Itzamn (also known as Zamn), the lord of the heavens and night and day, who was always ready to be called upon in hard times. The second, the right hand of Itzamn, is Chac, sometimes even more important that the lord of the heavens himself, since he is the god of rain and thus in a way also the god of life. The third god is Ah Mun, the corn god and the god of agriculture, the fourth is Ah Puch, the god of death, and the fifth is Ek Chuah, the god of war, human sacrifice and violent death (all of which the ancient Mayan kingdom had plenty).


The Mayan Diet Was Surprisingly Varied for the Time


Although the mighty ancient Maya civilization started millennia ago, the diet of its people was surprisingly good and far surpassed those of most other civilizations of the time. The majority of the early Mayans were farmers who planted their fields as a community, using various farming tools and techniques. Their main crops were corn, beans, avocados, chili peppers, pineapples, squashes and an ingredient which is still very important to many modern diets – cacao. When it comes to animal meat, the Maya people mainly hunted deer, rabbits, fish and turkeys; the latter were also kept as domestic animals. The Mayan diet frequently also included delights such as tomatoes, sweet potatoes and papaya…


The Majority of Mayan Kingdoms Collapsed during the 8th and 9th Centuries


Mayan facts reveal that the majority of the mighty Mayan kingdoms collapsed during the 8th and 9th centuries, but historians are still not quite sure about what might have caused this. Possible reasons include overpopulation, foreign invasion, lower-class uprising, collapse of important trade routes, environmental disaster, epidemic disease and/or climate change. The decline in Mayan power was most clearly seen in the lack of majestic architectural constructions, and once bursting cities becoming deserted. Historians have long been shocked by the apparent suddenness of the great empire’s collapse – in around 800 AD the civilization was at its peak with extremely well developed culture, science and religion, but just a century later it collapsed in a very mysterious way…


Famine Seems the Most Likely Cause for the Collapse of Ancient Mayan Kingdoms


Although there is still not a completely accepted theory among historians regarding what exactly destroyed the powerful ancient Mayan civilization, some previously widely-accepted theories have been discredited recently, leaving only a few classical Maya-doom theories. Among them, the famine theory seems the most likely.


Mayans were skilled farmers and hunters, but as their population rapidly grew, the sheer number of people became a burden to local food production. Even the great technological advancements, such as wetlands draining or hill terracing, couldn’t provide enough food for the mighty civilization. A major famine, possibly connected to the spread of disease, is thus thought most likely to have caused the collapse of many great ancient Mayan kingdoms.


Mayan Culture Is Best Known for Its Art, Architecture and Mathematical Systems


Mayan facts show that the great Maya civilization was very proficient when it came to creating art, architectural wonders and complex mathematical and astronomical systems that were far ahead of the time. The most prominent accomplishments of Mayans in these areas are certainly the construction of pyramids, the Mayan calendar, Mayan scripture, stone sculptures, wood carvings, murals on the walls of buildings, calculations of the length of the tropical solar year, and the Mayan vigesimal numeric system that enabled them to use huge numbers in their calculations in various areas of life.


The Mayans Built Some Stunning Pyramids that Are Still Around Today


Mayan facts reveal that many large palaces, pyramids and other public buildings that were built in various Mayan city-states are still around today to be admired and show us the amazing architectural skills of ancient Mayan builders. The pyramids are probably the best-known legacy of their old kingdoms – the Mayans built two basic types of pyramid. Both types were built for religious purposes, had steps to the top, and were of the characteristic pyramidal shape. But one type had a temple on the top and was meant to be climbed by priests to offer sacrifices to gods, while the other was built solely for the gods and was not meant to be climbed (steps were deliberately designed to be very steep to ensure they required a huge amount of effort to climb).


One of the most famous Mayan pyramids is El Castillo, a temple to the god Kukulcan in the city of Chichen Itza. It is just under 100 feet tall and has 91 steps on each of its four sides; when adding up the numbers of all steps and adding 1 for the platform on the top, the result is 365 – one step for each day of the year. Another very famous Mayan pyramid is La Danta in Guatemala, which is one of the biggest pyramids on the planet by total volume (around 99 million cubic feet).


The Mayans Had a Large Number of City-States with Their Own Independent Governments


Although most of us believe that the Mayans were a united civilization, Mayan facts clearly show that their civilization consisted of numerous city-states, each of them with its own independent government. Historians believe that there must have been hundreds of these city-states at the peak of the Mayan civilization.


Each city-state was ruled by a king (who was believed to rule by the right given from the gods). Nobles formed powerful councils which ran the government, and priests were powerful figures in the government too, since religion was a central part of the old Mayan civilization. Priests usually served as advisors to kings and thus had a great impact on how the Mayan city-states lived.


The Last Mayan Kingdom Existed Up Until 1697


Although the Mayan civilization reached its peak in around 800 AD, and many of its mighty kingdoms collapsed in the following centuries, the last independent Mayan kingdom – the island city of Tayasal – existed until the end of the 17th century. The kingdom submitted to Spanish conquerors in March 1697, led by the then governor of Yucatan, Martin de Ursua. After that, there was no record of any Mayan kingdoms existing anymore – all of them mysteriously disappeared in history, and most historians nowadays believe that the Spanish conquerors might have carried a virus that killed off a large part of the Mayan population.


Mayans Actually Still Exist – And They Live All around the World


Although the mighty ancient Mayan civilization collapsed centuries ago, Mayan people still inhabit the world. In fact, there are over 7 million Mayans still living in the areas of ancient kingdoms nowadays; many of them try to maintain portions of the ancient Mayan culture while others are more assimilated to the modern cultures of the areas they live in. The largest populations of modern Mayans can be found in certain areas of Mexico (especially the states of Yucatán, Campeche, Quintana Roo, Tabasco and Chiapas), Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador and western Honduras.


The Mayans Had Advanced Writing Skills


Many accomplishments of the Maya civilizations can be attributed to the simple fact that the Mayans were able to communicate and preserve their knowledge in a very efficient manner through their advanced writing skills. Mayan written language was in the form of – similarly to the ancient Egyptian civilization – hieroglyphs, and they used it to write on stones, on wood and even in books that were made out of the soft inner bark of fig trees. Researchers previously thought for a long time that Mayan written language developed around 1,700 years ago, but recent findings show that it might have been well before that, some 2,300 years ago.


According to the Mayan Calendar, the World Was Supposed to End in 2012


The Mayan calendar is one of the greatest achievements of the mighty ancient civilization, as Mayan facts show. Not only because the Mayans’ observations of the sky and their understanding of time were amazing for that era, but also because the calendar has caused much ado in modern times. According to the Mayan calendar, the end of the world was supposed to occur on December 21, 2012, but we are obviously still here, so it seems that those who were expecting the world to end were reading the calendar wrong. And indeed, the date in the Mayan calendar doesn’t actually signify the end of the world, only the end of one of the so-called creation periods in the Mayan long count calendar. In a way, the end of a Mayan creation period is similar to the end of the year we now celebrate each December 31, so it is definitely nothing to be afraid of…


The Mayans Did Some Bizarre Things with Their Children


The ancient Maya people had some very unusual ideas regarding how their children should look; ideas that would nowadays be perceived as abusive. For example, the Mayan upper classes pressed boards against babies’ foreheads to create a flattened surface, which seemed to be a desired look back then. They also dangled certain objects in front of a newborn’s eyes to permanently cross them, and filed children’s teeth to make them pointy or to create holes that would be filled with jade. Another strange, but much less invasive, habit they had involved naming children according to the day on which they were born as every day of the year had a specific name set for boys and girls.


Blood Sacrifice Was Nothing Unusual For the Mayans


Many of the day-to-day habits of the old Mayans were anchored in religion, so it is no surprise that blood sacrifice to the gods was a common occurrence among the Mayans. Little children were usually top choices for such sacrifices because of their pure souls, which were believed to bring prosperity. On some occasions, slaves or prisoners of war were used instead of children. One of the most surprising Mayan facts reveals that some of the modern Maya peoples still perform blood sacrifices, but they – of course – don’t use human blood. They use cattle or chicken blood instead.


If You Got Sick during Mayan Times, It Wouldn’t Have Been Such a Huge Problem


Obviously Mayan medicine couldn’t have been as evolved as modern medicine, but compared to other civilizations of the time and many civilizations that lived centuries after the ancient Mayans, they had a profound knowledge of the human body and possible ways of healing it. This is due to the simple fact that medicine, as were almost all other areas of life, was tightly connected to religion, so the select few who were allowed to heal were given an excellent education. Mayan healers were called shamans, and although a part of their healing relied on sorcery and the good will of the gods, they knew how to suture deep wounds (using human hair), heal fractures, and even carry out some dentistry.


The Mayans Had a Good Knowledge of Painkillers and Hallucinogenic Drugs


Due to the numerous spiritual practices that were a part of everyday life in the ancient Mayan kingdoms, it should come as no surprise to learn that various natural hallucinogenic drugs were used to enhance the experience. But these natural remedies were not only used to connect people to the spiritual world, but were also used in medicine, as painkillers. The most common natural remedies that Mayans used were tobacco, mushrooms, peyote, morning glory, and various other plants that could be used to make alcoholic beverages. The vast knowledge of the Mayan people about plants that could be used in medicine is partially revealed by Mayan pottery and carvings, which often depict healing rituals.


Ball Games Were Significantly More Dangerous during Mayan Times


Mayan facts reveal details of a stunning Mayan ball game that was very popular in the ancient culture. The playing field had two rings, usually mounted on two opposing walls, about 25 feet from the ground, and the goal of the game was to score a goal through these rings. Kicking or throwing the ball was not allowed, despite the fact that the ball was not allowed to touch the ground during play, but players could use their abdomens, thighs, upper arms, backs and maybe also their heads. They also wore protective gear for their hips, forearms and knees.


So, what was so dangerous about the Mayan ball game? Well, for one, the ball weighed around 8 pounds, which was enough to cause serious injuries by itself. In addition, the gameplay itself was very violent, allowing (or even encouraging) the players to hit, tackle and ram their opponents with their full strength. Needless to say, many players of the game died on the field, so it is perhaps not surprising that only one goal was enough to end the game.


The Mayans Were Big Fans of Saunas


Mayan facts reveal that being pure was an important part of the Mayan culture, again a habit without a doubt connected to their religion, so it should be no surprise that Mayans were big fans of saunas. Of course, their version of a sauna was very different to those we are familiar with today, but similar facilities, known as sweat baths, were constructed from stone and had a small opening on the top of the ceiling. Water was poured on hot rocks inside these stony constructions and generated steam that induced sweating. Sweat baths were used on various occasions, including to heal the sick, revitalize future mothers who had recently conceived a child, and to clean one’s body and mind to be closer to the gods.


Mayan Life Differed Greatly Depending on Whether You Were Wealthy or Poor


As in most civilizations – both past and present – the lives of those who were wealthy among the Mayans were very different from the lives of those who were poor. The Maya king and his trusted nobles of course lived very comfortable lives in large stony palaces, having all of their needs tended to by commoners, and wearing colorful clothes of fine materials with jewelry. But commoners had to work hard to earn their right to live in the community. Most of them worked as farmers and/or crafters from morning until night and wore simple clothes – usually just loincloths for men and long skirts for women – while living in simple mud-and-stone huts.



Mayan Facts — Facts about the Mayans Summary


Mayan FactsThe ancient Maya civilization was one of the greatest in our planet’s history. Advanced mathematics, clever astronomical observations, majestic architecture and creative arts are the greatest achievements of the mighty Mayans, whose lives revolved around various religious practices that often included violent rituals such as blood sacrifice. Mayan kingdoms reached their peak in around 800 AD, but most of them mysteriously collapsed in the following centuries. The last Mayan kingdom was conquered by the Spanish at the end of the 17th century. About 7 million Mayans still exist today in Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador and Honduras, and some of them still follow some of the traditions of their ancient ancestors.



Mayan Facts