Mayan Civilization
Map of Central America
Mayan Religion
1. Read the Mayan Religion sheet
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2. Fill in this note page from reading
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3. Read about some specific Gods/ Goddesses
Write on the back of the note page which God/Goddess most interested you and tell why it interested you.
Write on the back of the note page which God/Goddess most interested you and tell why it interested you.
mayan_gods_and_goddesses_picture_2f_info.pdf | |
File Size: | 61 kb |
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Maya believed in blood sacrifice. Blood letting was common. At some festivals, the Maya would cut themselves so they would bleed. This was one way they offered blood to the gods to keep their gods happy. Sometimes, they sacrificed animals, especially goats. On occasion, when the need was great and their problems were many, they also used human sacrifice. When they had to sacrifice a person or an animal, the priests first painted them blue. That was the sacrifice color of the ancient Mayas. One way a human sacrifice was conducted was to throw the victim down a well. If they were still alive by morning, obviously the gods wanted that person to live. But some people were not given a chance to survive. They were simply killed. Most human victims of sacrifice were slaves. But anyone could be chosen. The selection of what or who would be sacrificed was up to the priests. Their decision was final. That gave the priests incredible power. From MrDonn.org |
Mayan Sacrifice
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Mayan Agriculture |
The Maya were skillful farmers. They used their knowledge of calendars and seasons to grow crops. In the beginning, they grew more food than they needed. City-states did trade some surplus food for other items. But most of the surplus food was stored by each city-state to feed anyone who needed it in that city-state.
As the population grew, farmers found it ever more difficult to grow enough food to feed the growing population. Farming was difficult in the Maya region. There were dense forests, little surface water such as rivers and lakes, and the soil was poor. But the Maya were clever. The Maya did not try to use one system of agriculture. The farmers in each city-state fit their system to the land.
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Read Mayan Agriculture sheet
mayan_agriculture.pdf | |
File Size: | 62 kb |
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Games
Dig It - The Maya Project
Chocolate
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BrainPop -- How is Chocolate Made
View Hershey's Chocolate Making Process
movie on viewpute
movie on viewpute
Inside cacao pod
movie on viewpure
From cacao to bean
movie on viewpure
Mayan Trade
mayan_trade_2.pdf | |
File Size: | 56 kb |
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The Maya built many cities. Each city was built in the same way. Each city had a huge central plaza. The plaza was ringed with temples, pyramids, a ball court, and a palace for the city ruler. The plaza itself acted both as a marketplace and as a meeting place for ceremonies and festivals.
DK findout-
Read Info section and see structure of Mayan City - |
Mayan Cities |
Mayan Ball Game
The Maya loved ball games. Ball courts were usually placed at the base of a temple, because all games were held to honor the many Maya gods. Festivals were held every twenty (20) days. Every festival had a ball game scheduled. Everybody who possibly could came to the ball games.
The courts had a hoop at one end. The game played was very rough. It was a mix of modern soccer, basketball, and kick ball. Players could not touch the ball. They had to use their hips and feet and arms. They did wear protective clothing. The object of the game was to put a rubber ball through the hoop.
When teams from various Maya cities, or various parts of the same city, were playing each other, the winning team got to keep the jewelry of the losing team.
Some games were played with captives. When that happened, one team was composed of Maya players and the other team was composed of captives. If the captives won, they were allowed to go free. But they never won. Prior to the game, the captives were beaten, poorly fed, and poorly clothed. After the captive team lost, they were sacrificed.
The courts had a hoop at one end. The game played was very rough. It was a mix of modern soccer, basketball, and kick ball. Players could not touch the ball. They had to use their hips and feet and arms. They did wear protective clothing. The object of the game was to put a rubber ball through the hoop.
When teams from various Maya cities, or various parts of the same city, were playing each other, the winning team got to keep the jewelry of the losing team.
Some games were played with captives. When that happened, one team was composed of Maya players and the other team was composed of captives. If the captives won, they were allowed to go free. But they never won. Prior to the game, the captives were beaten, poorly fed, and poorly clothed. After the captive team lost, they were sacrificed.
DK Findout
Read Info section and see structure of Mayan ballgame -
Read Info section and see structure of Mayan ballgame -
Peabody Museum
Encounters with the Americas
Encounters with the Americas explores the native cultures of Latin America before and after 1492, when the first voyage of Christopher Columbus initiated dramatic worldwide changes. Encounters considers sixteenth-century native responses to military and religious missions, the introduction of new plants and animals, and the tragic toll of new diseases.
Exploring the unique, pre-1492 civilizations, exemplified by the Classic Maya and Postclassic Aztec, Encounters presents the continuing struggle of contemporary Maya, Panamanian Kuna, and Amazonian native groups to maintain their values and autonomy.
Encounters with the Americas explores the native cultures of Latin America before and after 1492, when the first voyage of Christopher Columbus initiated dramatic worldwide changes. Encounters considers sixteenth-century native responses to military and religious missions, the introduction of new plants and animals, and the tragic toll of new diseases.
Exploring the unique, pre-1492 civilizations, exemplified by the Classic Maya and Postclassic Aztec, Encounters presents the continuing struggle of contemporary Maya, Panamanian Kuna, and Amazonian native groups to maintain their values and autonomy.
Peabody Museum Scavenger Hunt
peobody_museum_scavenger_hunt.pdf | |
File Size: | 523 kb |
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Maya Music mural video
The Maya created a written language. Maya hieroglyphics are often referred to as "glyphs" for short. The Maya had about 800 symbols. Archaeologists have figured out what many of the symbols mean, but not all of them. Some glyphs were used as numbers. Some were used as sounds. Some were phrases or words. To read Maya glyphs, you read downward, left to right, in pairs.
The Maya used glyphs to create books about their gods, leaders, major happenings, and daily life. These books were made of soft bark and folded like a fan. A Maya book is called a codex. (The plural of codex is codices.) The Maya used both drawings and hieroglypic symbols to write in their books.
About 600 years after the Maya deserted their cities, the Spanish arrived in the area. The Spanish found many Maya books. The Spanish priests believed they were drawings of devils and hideous monsters. The Spanish burned every codex they found. Fortunately, they missed some.
From MrDonn.org
The Maya used glyphs to create books about their gods, leaders, major happenings, and daily life. These books were made of soft bark and folded like a fan. A Maya book is called a codex. (The plural of codex is codices.) The Maya used both drawings and hieroglypic symbols to write in their books.
About 600 years after the Maya deserted their cities, the Spanish arrived in the area. The Spanish found many Maya books. The Spanish priests believed they were drawings of devils and hideous monsters. The Spanish burned every codex they found. Fortunately, they missed some.
From MrDonn.org