Final answer:
The Mayans practiced a polytheistic religion with human sacrifices and bloodletting ceremonies to appease their gods, who controlled the natural and celestial worlds. Their religion deeply influenced their society, leading to advancements in writing, mathematics, and astronomical knowledge. The Maya believed these practices were essential for maintaining balance and ensuring the favors of the gods for prosperity and continuance of life.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Mayan civilization practiced a polytheistic religion, deeply integrated with their societal structure, which centered on the veneration of gods representing various aspects of the natural and celestial world. In the Mayan religion, human sacrifices and bloodletting ceremonies were significant rituals believed to appease and sustain the gods, ensuring the continued existence of the world and the fertility of the land. As part of their religious practices, the Maya developed a complex system of hieroglyphic writing, advanced mathematics that included the concept of zero, and a calendar intricately linked to their cosmology. Their architectural and engineering skills are evident in the grand stone temples that served as larger versions of family shrines, housing tombs of the deceased kings, who became ancestors for the whole city-state.
Rituals such as bloodletting were believed to facilitate communication with the ancestors by releasing a sacred essence within the blood, known as chu'ulel. These ceremonies were often timed according to the detailed Maya calendar, which reflected the cyclical nature of their understanding of the universe. Thus, ritual practices carried out by priests and shamans were integral to maintaining balance between life and death, and ensuring the favor of the gods for bountiful harvests, health, and cosmic stability.