Transcript The World of the Mayas - Mrs. Farr's History Class

The World of the Mayas
Maya Civilization
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The civilization
flourished between
300 and 900 A.D.
in the Yucatan
Peninsula.
They grew crops
on raised fields
that caught and
trapped rainwater.
This caused their
cities to grow
rapidly.
Temples and Palaces
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They built huge
pyramids to perform
religious sacrifices. In
the palaces, they had
huge stones with
carvings that recorded
Mayan events.
They also traded
honey, cocoa, cotton
cloth, and feathers.
Social Classes
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The Maya set up more
than 50 independent citystates: each having its
own king who claimed
ancestry to the sun god.
These city-states often
fought for land and slaves.
Nobles and priests assisted
kings in governing
Below them: farmers,
artisans, and hunters: this
class paid taxes and
worked together on large
building projects
Religion
Believed the gods controlled
everything, so had many
ceremonies to please themincluding human sacrifice.
 The priests watched the sky to
understand the gods’ plans- this
is how they learned about
astronomy.
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Advances in Learning
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They Mayans made a
system of
hieroglyphics.
Scribes kept their
sacred knowledge in
books of bark.
Many priests were
also mathematicians
and astronomers, so
they would know
when ceremonies
were to take place.
Calendar
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As a result, the
Mayans developed
two calendars: a
365-day calendar
based on the orbit
of the earth around
the sun for events
related to the
seasons and
agriculture, and a
260-day calendar
for religious
events.
Mathematics
Counting system
based on 20 and
used the concept
of 0
 They also had a
numbering
system to record
numbers and
dates.
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Decline
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Around 900 A.D., the
Mayans abandoned
their cities.
They may have left
because of frequent
warfare with citystates,
overpopulation, or
peasant revolts.
The Mayan language
is still rooted in
Guatemala and
southern Mexico
today.
Mayan Religion Reading
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Your assignment is to create a Mayan Mural.
This mural should illustrate the following:
Mayan Agriculture and more importantly Mayan
religion.
• For this portion there should be at least 4 aspects
shown-the 4 should correspond to the 4 paragraphs
in the reading
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You may compartmentalize your mural or let all
pictures run together.
Your mural should be incredibly ornate and
detailed and should also be colored.
You do not have to write an explanation b/c
your picture should tell the story by itself.