Aim: Did the Mayans achieve a Golden Age? Do Now: What do you know about the Mayans? What do you want to know?

I The Olmecs Pre-Columbian civilizations flourished in the Americas prior to the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1492. The Olmecs (1200 BCE – 200 CE) was an advanced pre-Columbian civilization in Mesoamerica before the Mayans! They were famous for their massive carved stone heads. Their disappearance is a mystery.

The Olmecs Continued…

II The “Classical” Mayans 300 – 900 CE Geography: 1. The Mayans lived in the Yucatan peninsula (modern day Guatemala, Belize and southern Mexico) 2. The Mayans built their civilization in the tropical rainforest. 3. The Mayans built irrigation canals, terracing (carving steps into mountains) and used slash and burn agriculture (cut down trees and burn remains to fertilize the soil). 4. Their main crops were potatoes and corn. 5. They used cacao beans as currency! Cacao beans

Modern Day Slash and Burn Agriculture A Mayan irrigation canal Mayans Continued… Modern Day Slash and Burn Agriculture A Mayan irrigation canal

The Mayans Continued…

The Mayans Continued… B) Government: Due to the dense rainforest, the Mayan civilization was made up of independent city-states. It never unified into a centralized government. The city-states were ruled by a king-priest. The largest Mayan city-state was Chichen-Itza. Chichen-Itza

The Mayans Continued… C) Religion: The Mayan religion was polytheistic. The most important god was the sun god. The Mayans practiced human sacrifice to ensure the crops would grow and that the sun would rise the next day. Mayan priest-kings practiced ritual blood letting. The blood would be smeared on bark which was then burned. Priest-kings often would insert jade into their teeth as a status symbol.

Mayan Temple of Kukulhan, Chichen Itza

Ms. Glass at Tikal, a Mayan city-state in modern day Guatemala. The Mayans Continued… Ms. Glass at Tikal, a Mayan city-state in modern day Guatemala.

Above is an actual hoop that the ball was supposed to go through. The Mayans Continued… 4. The Mayan ball game was was popular across Mesoamerica and played by the Olmecs and the later Aztec civilization! The objective was to put a rubber ball through a hoop placed high on each wall. Any part of the body could be used except the hands. Historians are not sure if the winners or the losers were sacrificed (as it would have been an honor to be sacrificed to the gods). Above is an actual hoop that the ball was supposed to go through.

The Mayans Continued… D) Science and Technology: They created three calendars based on their astronomical observations. The Mayans invented a writing system of hieroglyphics that were carved into stone or even wrote on codices (books made from bark). They had a number system that included zero! They dug irrigation canals for farming.

Why did the World not End in 2012?? The Mayans invented 3 main calendars based on their astronomical observations. The sacred calendar (Tzolk'in) lasted 260 days and was used to schedule sacred ceremonies. The secular (non-religious) calendar (the Haab‘) lasted 365 days and was used to help with farming. The Long Count Calendar calculated long cycles of time. On Dec 21, 2012, the Long Count calendar completed a major cycle. Some people freaked out as they thought the world would end- but the Mayans actually believed the cycle would just begin again!

The Mayans Continued… E) Mayan Society: 1. At the top of Mayan society were the nobles and priests. They had a middle class of craftsmen, traders, and warriors. At the bottom were the farmers and slaves. 2. Mayans believed that flat heads were beautiful. To achieve this, parents would attach a board to their baby’s head! On the right is a modern Mayan woman making tortillas the traditional way.

The Mayans Continued… E) Decline of the Mayans: In the 16th century when the Spanish conquistadors came to Mesoamerica, they found that the Mayans had abandoned most of their cities and were instead living in small communities. So what happened? There are 3 main theories. Climate change and drought Warfare Due to the Mayan practice of slash and burn, they eventually had to move as the soil needed time to replenish its nutrients.

Summary Questions How did geography affect the Mayan civilization? Describe the Mayan religion. Choose at least 2 achievements of the Mayans and describe them. Why do you think they were important achievements? Why do historians believe the Mayan civilization declined? Do you think that the Mayans deserve to be called a “Classical” civilization along with the Greeks, Romans, and Gupta? Explain.

Key Vocabulary Chichen Itza Yucatan Peninsula Codices Long-Count Calendar Mayans Mesoamerica Olmecs Pre-Columbian Slash and burn Terrace farming