ottery and sculpture. Most of what is known of Mayan art forms comes from archeological discoveries of ancient artifacts. Musical instruments included drums, pipes, and a high-pitched whistle.(Foley 92)The Maya worshiped many gods and goddesses. One Maya manuscript mentions more that one hundred and sixty of them.(Voorhies 326) Religion played a central part in the daily life of the Maya. Each day in the Maya year had a special religious importance and religious festivals in honor of particular gods took place throughout the year. The Maya regarded their gods as both helpful and harmful. To obtain the help of the gods, the Maya fasted, prayed, offered sacrifices, and held many other religious ceremonies. Archaeologists have recently shown that the Maya began to develop intensive agriculture and sophisticated water management during the Middle Preclassic.(Miller)The early Maya gave great gifts to the people who followed. Some four million or so Maya speak one of the thirty or more Mayan languages and retain traditional customs, diet, dress, or housing.(Miller)For most of the 20th Century, only the extensive calendrical data of the Maya could be read, and as a result, Maya scholars hypothesized that then inscriptions were pure calendrical records. Because little evidence of warfare had been recognized archaeologically, the Classic Maya were thought of as peaceful timekeepers and sky watchers. Their cities, it was thought, were ceremonial centers for ascetic priests, and their artwork anonymous, without concern for specific individuals(Miller)...
