Maya Social and Political Organization ruled by divine right Political leader, Men LORD Gathered taxes and supplies and organized workers for building War captains that led peasants into battle NOBLES Very powerful because they kept the gods happy Led religious ceremonies, acted as astronomers, created calendars and treated the sick Practiced some human sacrifice PRIESTS Merchants traded salt, cotton, fish, animal skins, jade, quetzal feathers and cocoa beans Artisans produced murals, sculptures, pottery and codices that paid tribute to their gods MERCHANTS AND ARTISANS PEASANTS Men worked in fields, women managed the household If they were a good, hard working citizen then they were rewarded by being able to attend a ceremony, royal wedding or ballgame SLAVES Made up of surplus children, war prisoners and criminals Forced to do “grunt work” like grinding maize and chopping trees Not poorly treated but often killed and buried with master

Unique Standards of Beauty Based on images of their Gods Skulls were bound in order to be elongated Teeth filed to sharp points Gold and jade inlaid on teeth Tattoos and scarring Jewelry, large headdresses and blue body paint worn

Achievements Zero- Allows for large numbers and mathematical, scientific and architectural calculations System using place values of 20’s Bars = 5 Dots =1

Math 8000’s 400’s 20’s ones

Stele and Writing Pyramids Large stone monuments Covered with glyphs Some were over 200 feet tall Some were used Some ceremonial for gods Placed to mark celestial events

Farming and Food Production First to make chocolate Created corn products like cornmeal and tortillas Pioneered slash and burn farming

The Controversial Calendar Two calendars Solar 360 with 5 unlucky days Sacred 260 days Doomsday Prophecy 8-25

Noteworthy Achievements of the Maya Ball Game Legends Most big cities had courts Rubber ball and hip guards used Players treated like celebrities Recreational and religious purposes Legends recorded on Murals, codices (wood sheets) and stelae (stone monuments) Very few works of lit. survive Calendars -Calendars were connected to religion -2 important calendars sacred round-260 days vague-18 months of 20 days each and 5 unlucky days (365 days) Architecture Very decorative stonework and detailed facades Corbeled arch was imp. feature Astronomy Priests were astronomers Knew phases of the moon Accurately predicted eclipses Hieroglyphics -Only Native American group to have complete writing system -Used block-like symbols to show ideas and objects -Symbols called glyphs Mathematics -based on units of 20 -bars=5 dots=1 -sign for zero (wow!)