Everyday Life Family When a newborn baby was born in a Mayan society, there was a ceremony presenting them to society depending on their gender. The godparent of the baby offered nine objects associated with the role of a male or female to signify acceptance. The priest gave these children four names on a specific date chosen for the naming day. A flattened forehead and crossed eyes were considered to be signs of physical beauty. Wooden frames were bound to infants' heads to elongate their skulls and several piercing were done to young children. Mayan girls were generally married by fourteen years of age and boys by eighteen years of age. Most marriages were arranged with the help of a matchmaker. A dowry was paid to the groom's family and the date of the wedding was chosen according to astrological signs. Newly married couples lived with the bride's family and the groom had to work for them for seven years before the couple could move out. Extended family units were part of village compounds which combined into the lineages whose members claimed to be descendents from a common ancestor. Clans reformed from lineages and there were restrictions against the marriage of two people in the same paternal clan. Education Obedience was stressed in the education system. Formal education was a luxury for the upper class who were taught about reading, writing, and mathematics. Girls in all classes were trained in the home and were taught skills to maintain a household. However, daughters of the noble class had slaves to rely on and perform daily chores. |   |
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