The Maya Civilization

Goals for Today:  To identify and describe the achievements of the Maya civilization  To compare ways the Maya forged their civilization with ways the Greeks forged theirs during each people’s classical period

The Mystery of the Maya  Rose approximately 600 years after the Olmec declined  Many books were lost or destroyed; therefore, some details of their lives still remain a mystery

The Mystery of the Maya  Stone pyramids and plazas hint at a complex culture  Created a written language  Achieved a remarkable understanding of stars and planets  Kept records of work and created stone carvings

Geography  Developed on the lowlands of the Yucatan peninsula and the highlands of present-day Guatemala

Fast Facts  Developed culture based on agriculture and hunting  One of the richest civilizations yet seen in the Americas  Called the “Classic Period”  What is a Classis Period?  a period that is an important time of cultural achievement for a civilization  What are some other Classic Periods that you can think of?  Greece, Rome

The Mayan city of Copan  Located in present-day Honduras  Had a grand ball court where the fierce Maya ball game Poktu-Pok was played  Players wore helmets and padding on arms and legs (the game was ROUGH!)

Poktu-Pok  Used a five pound solid rubber ball  Included two teams  each team would rush up and down the court trying to get the ball through a stone hoop  If they succeeded, they won the game

Poktu-Pok  Game was a part of Mayan religion  Those who lost were sometimes killed as a sacrifice to Maya gods  The Maya believed their gods would help them if they sacrificed somethings as important as human life  Which other civilization played a similar game 600 years earlier?  The Olmec Short Video Clip: m/watch?v=jKvQjgC9sIY m/watch?v=jKvQjgC9sIY

Copan Buildings  Included temple-like pyramids  Built of huge stone blocks  Did not have wheels or work animals, all moving and lifting was done by humans  Sometimes work was done by enslaved people who had been captured in wars Short Video Clip: Y8jNcuGe8 Y8jNcuGe8

Copan at its Peak  Over 20,000 people  Crowded with hundreds of buildings  Most people were farmers

Maize  Agriculture was the heart of the economy  Maize (corn) was the most important part of their diet  Yum Kax was a maize god (this god was a important part of Maya religion)

The Maya creation myth  According to Maya belief, a god created people from maize dough  The Maya performed special ceremonies for the planting and harvesting of maize

Religion  Consisted of 3 levels  Upper-world of the heavens  Middle-world of humans  Under-world of the dead  Believed king could communicate with the upper-world and could also bring spirits to the middle- world  The Maya worshiped hundreds of gods  Believed that ancestors lived in the upper-world

Other Crops  The Maya grew:  Beans  Squash  Cacao trees (provided chocolate!)  Avocado  Papaya Like the Olmec, the Maya also hunted animals such as deer.

Growing up in Copan  Boys and girls lived very differently  Boys:  Moved out in teen years and moved into large group homes  There they learned to play Poktu Pok and to become soldiers  Girls:  Stayed at home  They were strictly raised by their mothers  Learned how to cook maize and other food  Learned how to run a household

Maya Society  At the top of the society was the KING Warriors Wealthy Farmers Merchants Farmers (largest group, like in Mesopotamia and Egypt) Slaves (prisoners of war) Short Video Clip:

Stars and Planets  Closely studied the stars and planets  Venus was especially important – its movements were used to make decisions about when to attack other cities  By studying the night sky, the Maya were able to develop an accurate calendar  This calendar allowed them to record exact dates in history Short Video Clip:

Writing  Symbols called glyphs were carved into stones of Maya cities and towns  A magnificent 72-step stairway includes lists of heroic deeds and deaths of Maya leaders  Leaders also had tall, flat stones (stelae carved with glyphs)  Used to mark a historical event in the life of the leader  How are these glyphs similar to Egyptian hieroglyphics? Short Video Clip:

Mathematics  The Maya developed a system that helped merchants to keep track of goods  Scribes used the system to keep track of history  The mathematical system helped the Maya to make exact calculations Short Video Clip:

Sum it Up  Built a complex civilization in Middle America  Created large cities that contained temples, ball courts, and other buildings  Maya religion was an important way of life (practiced polytheism)  Developed systems of writing and math that allowed them to record important events in history

Checking for Understanding  What was the most important crop to the Maya?  What was one kind of god that the Maya worshiped?  What are three achievements that set the Maya apart from earlier Middle American civilizations?  What made the Maya civilization “classical?”