Transcript Slide 1

Warm-up #2
• Explain two ways that the
Maya adapted to their
environment?
• How did growing maize
change life for early
Mesoamerican people?
Latin America Map
• Color your map to show where
the Mayan civilization was
located.
• Be sure to record the color you
used in the key.
• Color nothing else.
Essential Question
Describe the rise
and fall of the
Mayan Empire.
City-states (Mini Notes)
• The Maya empire had
many city-states each
with their own ruler.
• There was no single
king who ever ruled all
of the Maya.
• Tikal and Palenque were
generally the 2 most
powerful city-states.
Mini Notes:
• The states often traded with each
other.
• The north traded
food to the south
for jade and
obsidian.
– Obsidian: a sharp, glasslike volcanic rock.
– Jade: a hard green stone that was mined in the
high lands and trade to the low lands.
• War also happened between the states…
frequently.
Tikal – largest,
most powerful
in southern
highlands
Palenque – home
to King Pacal
Chichen Itza –
main city in
northern
lowlands
Tikal
• The ancient Mayan city of Tikal flourished
between roughly 600 B.C. and A.D. 900.
Starting out as a modest series of hamlets, it
would become a great Mayan city-state with
more than two dozen major pyramids.
Tikal
• At its peak in the Late Classic period (A.D. 682-909) the
city was spread over 50 square miles, its population
estimated to be as high as 100,000 people, external trade
helping fuel its growth.
• Tikal’s rulers also built six “temple” pyramids,
structures that often marked the burial place of a ruler.
Two of them, known today as Temples I and II.
– Temple I was built for Jasaw Kaan K’awil, he was a
king who led Tikal’s forces in defeating its most bitter
enemy — the rival city of Calakmul. His burial
chamber was found inside the pyramid’s interior and
contained many luxury goods, including jaguar pelts,
jade and even “delicately notched images of figures
in canoes on human bones
– Temple II, is believed to be dedicated to the ruler’s
wife, Lady Tun Kaywak.
Tikal
• Tikal, along with much of the Mayan world, collapsed
around A.D. 900.
• Evidence suggests that drought and the use of sea
routes for trade (bypassing overland routes) contributed
to the decline.
• Deforestation, which occurred over time as Tikal grew,
may have added to this problem, reducing rainfall and
making it harder to grow crops
Palenque
• Palenque is perched on
the first rise of the
Tumbalá mountains,
looking out over the Gulf
of Mexico.
• The early history of the
city is poorly understood,
but it appears that by the
end of the fifth century a
dynasty of rulers was
established at Palenque.
• At its height in the seventh and eighth centuries its
urban core had a population as high as 6,200 people
living in less than 1 square miles of land.
Palenque
• The Temple of
Inscriptions is perhaps
the most significant
structure on the site
because it contains the
tomb of Pacal the Great,
the mightiest Mayan
ruler of Palenque, who
sanctioned the building
of the temple to be
accomplished after his
passing
Pacal’s Tomb
The stairway descends
vertically 80 feet to Pakal's
burial chamber where a
great ornately carved stone
slab was used to seal his
tomb.
The humidity down there
is intense, and the walls
literally weep for Pakal
Palenque
• Between the late 8th & early 10th
centuries, the ancient Maya civilization
collapsed (although the descendants of
the people live on today). Palenque was
no exception with archaeological
evidence indicating that the city was
abandoned by A.D. 850, if not earlier.
• What led to the collapse of the Maya is a
matter of debate but recent research
suggests that drought caused by climate
change played an important role.
Chichin Itza
• Chichen Itza is a city in Mexico’s Yucatan
peninsula that thrived between the 9th and 13th
centuries A.D.
• Archaeologists are still trying to figure out how
this ancient urban center, more than 740 acres
in size, came to be.
Chichin Itza
• At the heart of the city lies
the step pyramid known
as El Castillo.
• When the temple at top is
included, it rises about 100 feet,
with each side being 180 feet at
the base. On each of the
pyramid’s four sides are 91
steps, making 364 in total.
When you add in the step taken
to enter the temple the total
number of steps comes to 365,
the number of days in a year!
Chichin Itza
• Although the decline of Chichin
Itza is not completely known, it is
likely that revolt and civil war
among the Maya in 1221 CE,
evidenced by archeological
findings of burned buildings, led to
Chichen Itza's decline.
What’s Next??
• Complete Chapter 14 Section
2 Assessment.
–Page 394 #’s 2a, 2b, 3a, and
3b.
Maya Brainpop
• Create a Know Want to Know, Learn chart for the Mayan.
• Add three things you know already and three things you
would like to know (in the K and W sections).
• During/after the video, write three things you learned
about the Maya in the “L” column.
Know
Want to
Know
Learn