The Mayan Empire Claim: The Mayan Empire is classified as an empire. It has all the classifications of a civilization and an empire. Civilization The Mayans had a stable food supply, they grew crops in hills, swamps, and forests. Some of the main crops they grew were corn and squash. They made corn into tortillas and drank hot chocolate on special occasions. They had their own social structure, the ruler, nobles and priests, merchants and artisans, peasants, and slaves. They also had their own government for each of the city states throughout the empire. They practice the Mayan religion and they are polytheistic, they actually believed in more than 160 gods! The Mayan artisans were very skilled artists and made jewelry out of jade, obsidian, stone. The Mayans used many forms of technology, they had fishing nets, hoe's, tables, clothing weapons, suspension bridges and stairs cases. They developed their own way of hieroglyphics.

Empire They started (their development around) 2000B.C.E. and ended their development or the empire around 300C.E. The ruler (or highest authority) would decide who would fight in the battles to gain land. They had a class system that helped keep people in control. This system made everyone know what level they're at, what job they have, and what or what not they're allowed to so. The class system is made of Rulers, Nobles, Priests, Merchants, Artisans, Peasants, and Slaves. Merchants traded by boat along rivers. Their official religion is the Mayan religion however, they don’t allow other religions to be practiced. Later the whole empire disappeared and was left in ruins in the jungle. Historians think it was because of disputes over power.

Interesting Info Women wove clothes, cooked food, and did many other things around the house. Men hunted and trapped animals, fished, and did many other things. Girls helped their mothers with the things they do and boys helped their fathers. They ate many crops that they grew around their village like squash and corn. They also made hot chocolate for special occasions. They take care of farm animals and farm crops to eat as food. They cook things over fire and use corn to make tortillas on tables. Depending on what level of their social structure a person is on depends what type of clothes they wear. If your closer to the top your clothes are more expensive and more covering. They all wore the same basic clothes, however if you're not as high up on the social pyramid your clothes aren't as covering and maybe your arms or legs won't be covered. All of them wore hats except the slaves who had pony tails that stuck strait up on the top of their heads. This location could be visited today but, only because it’s still there. If you went to visit it today you’d be climbing through a jungle looking for ruins buried in plants. Extra Interesting Facts They played a game called pok-ta-pok. (You can learn more about this game in the next chapter) The constructed canals so they could easily trade with nearby civilizations/empires. It’s an honor to get your head chopped off if you are a Mayan person.

Pok-ta-Pok This game is played with a small ball, hoop and two teams. The point of the game is to hit the ball through the hole with you hip. If the ball rolls down the ramp to the other team’s side and up their ramp, it’s their turn to try and get the ball through their own hole, on their side. If your team loses and you’re a kid, the winning team gets to take your clothing and jewelry as their winnings. If your team loses and you’re an adult, your head gets chopped off and you never get to see the light of day again.