Kids became a vital part of the Mayan society from a very early age. Every person in the Mayan society contributed in the civic duties and kids were no exception. By the time kids reached the age of five or six, they were engaged in different jobs. At this age, boys would typically accompany their fathers on farming or hunting while girls stayed at home and helped their mothers in household chores. Kids were taught the importance of work and social duty from a very early age. The kids of the commoners received little formal education although the kids of the nobility were taught in proper schools.
The kids in Mayan society were named exactly according to the date of their birth. Since each day had a unique name in the Mayan calendar, the name of the kid was a combination of that day’s name together with some other title.
Mayans considered certain physical traits as the right characteristics of beauty. These included flatter foreheads and crossed eyes. And they devised many methods of ensuring that kids had these features. To give them flatter foreheads, newborn kids had their forehead placed between two wooden boards so that they exerted a continuous pressure on the forehead. Since the forehead of the young kids is generally flexible, the pressure flattened into the desire shape. To achieve the effect of crossed eyes, parents hung different toys in the middle of the kids’ eyes. As a kid looked on at such toys, his eyes became naturally crossed from a very young age.
Mayan kids were taught social ethics and family values from a very early age.
Mayan kids were taught social ethics and family values from a very early age. This is because the Mayan society, at large, heavily depended on family structures for its continued existence. Kids were taught that they were required to work and productively contributed to the family, and to society. This was echoed when kids assisted their parents in different errands from a very early age. Kids were also taught to respect their elders. This was important because Mayan society valued common sense in a kid, and kids were expected to learn common sense in social matters by closely following the example of their parents. Certain rituals and ceremonies were performed during various stages of a childs growth which reinforced these customs and values.
Mayan kids were closely guided by their parents and were considered an important, productive part of the family and society. They were taught the Mayan social customs and values from a very early age. These included the training that they should contribute productively to the family and emulate the customs of the society successfully. The kids were mostly taught by their parents. Boys began accompanying their fathers on farming, hunting or other jobs by the time they were five or six. Girls started fetching water and performing other household chores at this age. In this way, kids became an active part of Mayan society.
