Psychological Anthropology

Psychological Anthropology

Throughout the world and history there have been a great variety of cultures with different behaviors, beliefs, values, and life style. A historic culture with strong values that are located in South America is the Maya culture. Another culture that has been around for many centuries is the Japanese culture with remarkable traditions. These two cultures have remarkable personalities and identities are formed and shaped through their cultures traditions.

The Maya culture has been around since 2000 BC and their geographical regions range from Central and South America. They are manly known to in Guatemala, Honduras, Belize, and parts of Mexico. “During the Classical Period which lasted from the third to the ninth century, Maya civilization built awe-inspiring temples, pyramids and cities and formed a complex social and political order” (Enjoy, 2010, ¶ 1). The Maya people have become displaced due to wars and being forced of their lands. “The Maya people of Guatemala suffered horribly during years of state violence and genocides” (Miller, 2007, p. 404). During the war they were killed by the governments military and forced off their lands leaving to Mexico and the United States. Maya people are known for their farming and are considered foragers, which “collect food items available in nature” (Miller, 2007, p.66). They were once wealthy through their food supplies which enabled them to trade their goods, now they live in poverty. Their culture beliefs consist of indigenous people which speak a variety of Maya dialects. Miller (2007) states that Maya Indians wore woven and embroidered blouses (p. 374). Their beliefs now vary since they have been victimized and forced off their lands, and some have adapted to modern civilizations due to a new society growing around them. Miller (2007) the Mayas of Chiapas, Mexico faced change in the 1970’s as the government build roads, schools, dams, housing, oil boom, Tabasco providence and...