The Maya

• 250 BC to 950 AD• The only great civilization to be located in the

“jungle”• Primarily located on the Yucatan peninsula

and in northern central America• Built temples, ball courts, and other buildings

Mayan Cities

• Copan-one of the great centers of classic Mayan culture– Famous ball courts, temples, and huge buildings made

of stone blocks– They had no wheels or work animals, all work was

done by hand• Tikal-another major Mayan city– Had a central plaza and marketplace– 90,000 people lived in the city at one

time

Growing up in a Mayan City

• Boys and girls lived very differently• When boys were teens, they moved out of

their family homes and into group homes where they learned to play Pokta-Pok

• Girls stayed home where they were raised strictly by their mothers, learning how to harvest maize and other foods, and how to run a home.

Pokta-Pok• A fierce Mayan ball game played with a 5-pound rubber ball• Players wore helmets and padding during the game, which was often

very rough• There were two teams that rushed up the court trying to get the ball

through a hoop• Spectators would fill the stands and gave clothing to the winning team• This game was part of their culture• Those who lost the game were sometimes sacrificed to the Mayan

gods• The Maya believed their gods would

help them if they sacrificed something as precious as human life

Mayan Civilization

• Expert Astronomers• Great Mathematicians • Good architects though were not able to

complete the arch

Architects

• Build Magnificent Temples and Places for Commerce and Games

The Most Important Crop

• Most people in Copan were farmers and agriculture was the heart of the Mayan economy

• Maize was a key crop and was first grown in Middle America in 500 B.C.

• In its early stages, the cob was the size of a peanut, but when heated it exploded like fireworks!

Agriculture

• Farmers also planted beans, squash, peppers, and grew avocado and papaya.

• They also grew cacao trees, which provided them with chocolate– the rulers favorite drink!

• They also hunted many animals and sold many of their products and crops at the city marketplace.

Mayan Economy

• Traded salt, obsidian, jade, cacao, animal pelts, tropical bird feathers, luxury ceramics and other goods.

• Obsidian was made into tools and weapons.• People either bartered goods directly or

exchanged them for cacao beans

Often Traded Items

Social Structure

• Social Pyramid– Priests– Nobles, wealthy– commoners – merchants– slaves and servants

• Slaves were people who were captured from warring tribes. Slaves worked in the homes of noble families or worked in the fields.

Religion of the Maya

• Religion was very important to the Maya• Believed the universe was made of three different levels– The upperworld of the heavens– The middleworld of Earth– The underworld

• Believed their priests and kings communicate with the dead• Worshiped HUNDREDS of gods• Some of their gods included the God of Forest, Lady Rainbow,

the God of Maize (corn), and of course, the God of Sun.• Without the help of these important gods, there would be no

crops and everyone would die!!!

Mayan Gods

Lady RainbowGoddess of the Moon

Yum KaxGod of Land Yumil Kaxob

God of Maize

Kinich AhauGod of Sun

Mayan Art

• The Mayas wove beautiful fabrics• They made musical instruments like drums,

shell horns, and castanets.• Their statures were incredible and huge.

Archaeologists can tell a great deal about the ancient Maya from their wonderful pottery and well-crafted clay figures.

• The art they created honored their gods, their leaders, and their daily life.

Mayan Calendar

• Closely studied the stars and planets, especially the planet Venus

• The movement of Venus was used to make decisions about when to attack other cities

• By studying the night sky, they developed an accurate calendar, which was used to record the specific dates of events

Mayan Writing

• The Maya system of writing is arguably one of the most visually striking systems of the world.

• It is also very complex, with hundreds of unique signs or hieroglyphics in the form of humans, animals, supernaturals, objects, and abstract designs

• These are used to write words, phrases, and stories.

• In fact the Maya can write anything that they can say.

Mystery Question:

• Debate over why several sites are shown to have been abandoned?– They left the site due to natural disasters.– They left the site due to overcrowding