Social Classes of The Maya

Reading Notes Chapter 23

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The Ruler

Called the “True Man”Decided when and where to go to warAt religious ceremonies he wore a religious headdress as tall as a personWas influenced by female family members

Nobles and Priests

Only Priests and nobles know how to read and write.Nobles gathered taxes, supplies, and labor for important projects.Nobles led peasant armies in times of war.Priests led rituals and performed sacrifices.

Merchants and Artisans

Merchants traveled by sea, river, and roads to trade with other city-states.Merchants traded such goods as obsidian, jade, copal, and quetzal feathers.Artists painted murals of Mayan life and important battles.Artisans were skilled weavers and potters.

Peasants

Peasant men worked mostly in the fields.Peasant women generally worked at preparing food, weaving, and sewing.Peasants also built temples and pyramids and served as soldiers.Peasants sometimes attended royal weddings and religious ceremonies.

Slaves

People could become slaves if their family sold them into slavery.Soldiers of humble background who were captured in war became slaves.People who committed serious crimes became slaves.Slaves were often sacrificed when their masters died.

Mayan Religion

Reading Note 23.5

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Mayan Gods

The Maya believed in more than 160 gods.Primary gods were the god of rain, the god of corn, and the god of death.The jaguar was an important animal in the Mayan religion.

Offerings and Sacrifices

The Maya made offerings of plants, food, flowers, feathers, jade, and shells.Animals and sometimes humans were sacrificed.In Chichen Itza, humans were sacrificed by being thrown into a sacred wall.

Pok-a-tok

This is a ball game played by two teams of nobles.Players tried to hit a rubber ball through a stone hoop using their elbows, wrists, and hips.Members of the losing team may have been sacrificed.

The Sacred Round

The Maya’s knowledge of astronomy and math allowed them to develop a complex calendar system.The Sacred Round was made up of two cycles. One cycle was made up of the numbers 1 to 13; the other had 20 day names.The Sacred Round was used to determine the best days to plant, do battle, perform religious ceremonies, and many other activities.

Mayan Agricultural Techniques

Reading Notes23.6

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Crops

maize or cornbeanssquash

Agricultural Techniques

In the mountainous highlands, the Maya used a system of terraces to create more flat land on which to farm.In the swampy lowlands, the Maya used raised earth platforms surrounded by drainage canals.In the densely forested lowlands, the Maya used slash-and-burn agriculture to clear land for farming.

Theories for Decline of the Mayan Civilization

The population of Mayan cities grew faster than their farming systems could sustain.There was uncontrolled warfare.Mayan city-states were invaded by groups from central Mexico.Drought may have caused massive crop failure.