Geography: A Growing Civilization

The Maya lived in the Yucatan Peninsula.

Spread out over 125,000 square miles in the highland mountains & lowland valleys.

Archaeologists believe the Maya began working the land as early as 1800 B.C.E. (before current era).

They built small farming villages.

By 200 C.E. (current era) some of these villages grew into cities.

Cities / Temples

Mayan cities were built around religious centers.

Some cities had great palaces. The Maya built flat-topped pyramids made of limestone. At the top of these pyramids were temples. That was where the Mayan priest-kings held religious rituals.

The city of Palenque was a major power that bordered the highlands and lowlands.

An Economy Based on Agriculture

As Mayan cities grew, farmers needed to produce more food. They found ways to farm places they had not farmed before.

They farmed the sides of hills (carved into flat terraces)

They build raised fields in the wet lowlands. They burned trees and plants in forests to clear the land for farming. They moved good soil to areas that had poor soil. They dug water systems (irrigation) to bring water to dry areas.

By using these techniques, they grew corn, beans and squash.

They traded food between the highland and lowland people & with people in Central America and Mexico.

In return, they received goods that they couldn’t produce themselves, such as jade, feathers and cacao beans.

Cacao beans held great value (used as money) and was restricted to only the most important Mayan.

Obsidian – A glass like volcanic rock was also traded/used as money.

Religion and Leadership

Polytheism-The Maya worshipped many gods.

The also worshipped their rulers. They thought their rulers could influence the gods.

The Maya wanted to keep the gods happy and prevent disaster. They believe that the gods needed blood.

Priest-kings like Pacal killed animals and sometimes people as offerings to the gods.

One Mayan ruler was named Pacal. He ruled the Maya for 68 years. Like other Maya rulers, he was a priest as well as a warrior.

Blood letting was common for Mayan rulers like Pacal. Mayans believed that royal blood would keep the gods happy.

The city of Palenque build a temple that was used to record his achievements.

Mayan Achievements: Mayan H.A.M.

H= hieroglyphs (a writing system) Each picture stood for an object and/or a sound. Some hieroglyphs stood for whole ideas, such as life or happiness.

Hieroglyphs were carved on the stone columns and record books called a codex

A= Astronomy– They knew exact moon phases.

Able to predict sun and moon eclipses.

They created very precise 365 day calendars for harvesting.

They also had a 120 day calendar for religious events.

M= Mathematics Mayan created a number system. Were the first to use the symbol of zero (binary math)

The number system was based on units of 20.

Recreation: The Mayan Ball Game (ōllamaliztli)

Players tried to hit a solid rubber ball through a stone ring by using their elbows, wrists, and hips.

People from all levels of Mayan society watched and placed bets on the outcome of the game.

Slaves, land and homes could be won and lost during a game.

The losing team were sacrificed and the captain of the defeated team was beheaded.

The End of the Maya

The collapse of the Classic Mayan civilization is one of the great mysteries.

The Mayan culture thrived for about 600 years.

By 900 C.E., the Maya had abandoned their cities to the jungle. Possible causes:

Populations of the cities grew too fast for the farming system.

Long periods of drought (dry weather) causing crop failure.

Warfare – wars were very bloody, hand-to-hand fighting with clubs and spears.

Invaders from central Mexico helped to destroy the city-states.

Copyright © 2013 Instructomania Pavlovich

Standard 7.7.1 & 7.7.3

Geography: A Growing Civilization

The Maya lived in the ______________ Peninsula.

Spread out over 125,000 square miles in the highland ________________& lowland _______________.

Archaeologists believe the Maya began working the land as early as _______B.C.E. (before current era).

They built small farming villages.

By 200 C.E. (current era) some of these ____________ grew into _____________.

Cities / Temples

Mayan cities were built around ______________centers.

Some cities had great palaces. The Maya built flat-topped pyramids made of limestone. At the top of these pyramids were ___________. That was where the Mayan __________________ held religious rituals.

The city of ____________was a major power that bordered the highlands and lowlands.

An Economy Based on Agriculture

As Mayan cities grew, farmers needed to produce more food. They found ways to farm places they had not farmed before.

They farmed the sides of hills (carved into flat ______________)

They build raised fields in the wet lowlands. They ___________ trees and plants in forests to clear the land for farming. They moved good soil to areas that had poor soil. They dug __________systems (irrigation) to bring water to dry areas.

By using these techniques, they grew __________, __________ and _____________.

They traded food between the highland and lowland people & with people in Central America and Mexico.

In return, they received goods that they couldn’t produce themselves, such as _______, ____________ and ____________ beans.

Cacao beans held great value (used as money) and was restricted to only the most important Mayan.

____________ – A glass like volcanic rock was also traded/used as money.

Religion and Leadership

________________-The Maya worshipped many _____________.

The also worshipped their rulers. They thought their rulers could influence the gods.

The Maya wanted to keep the gods happy and prevent disaster. They believe that the gods needed blood.

Priest-kings like ____________killed animals and sometimes people as offerings to the gods.

One Mayan ruler was named Pacal. He ruled the Maya for 68 years. Like other Maya rulers, he was a priest as well as a __________.

Blood letting was common for Mayan rulers like Pacal. Mayans believed that royal ___________ would keep the gods happy.

The city of Palenque build a temple that was used to record his ____________________.

Mayan Achievements: Mayan H.A.M.

H= ________________(a writing system) Each picture stood for an object and/or a sound. Some hiero-glyphs stood for whole ideas, such as life or happiness.

Hieroglyphs were carved on the stone columns and record books called a ______________.

A= _________________– They knew exact moon phases.

Able to predict sun and moon eclipses.

They created very precise 365 day ________________for harvesting.

They also had a 120 day calendar for religious events.

M= ___________ Mayan created a number system. Were the first to use the symbol of zero (binary math)

The number system was based on units of _____.

Recreation: The Mayan Ball Game (ōllamaliztli)

Players tried to hit a solid rubber ball through a stone ring by using their elbows, wrists, and hips.

People from all levels of Mayan ______________watched and placed bets on the outcome of the game.

Slaves, land and homes could be ___________ and _____________during a game.

The losing team were sacrificed and the captain of the defeated team was beheaded.

The End of the Maya

The ________________ of the Classic Mayan civilization is one of the great mysteries.

The Mayan culture thrived for about 600 years.

By 900 C.E., the Maya had __________________ their _______________ to the jungle. Possible causes:

Populations of the cities grew too fast for the ______________system.

Long periods of _______________ (dry weather) causing crop failure.

______________– wars were very bloody, hand-to-hand fighting with clubs and spears.

______________ from central Mexico helped to destroy the city-states.

Copyright © 2013 Instructomania Pavlovich

Standard 7.7.1 & 7.7.3