Mayan’s This power point is for reviewing. Thank you to Holt Social Studies, World History Book.

Introduction

Chapter Overview The main crops of the Maya included maize and beans The Quechaua came to Americas to find land, gold, and convert to Catholicism The Aztec mistook Hernan Cortes from the god, Quetazalcoatl Maya priest studied the sun, moon, and stars from stone observation Francisco Pizarro led a party of Spanish soldiers to Mexico in 1519 Atahualpa tried to buy his freedom by having his people deliver great riches to the Spanish

Chapter Overview Continued The official language of the Inca Empire was Pachacuti The Aztecs built raised roads called masonry to cross from Tenochtitlan to the mainland Moctezuma II was the Inca leader at the time of the Spanish Conquest Many people in Mesoamerica died at the hands of the Conquistadors

The Maya Who They Were; Mayan were an American Indian people, who developed a magnificent civilization in Mesoamerica, which is the southern part of North America. They built their largest cities between ADD 250 and 900. Today, many people travel to central America to see Maya ruins.

The Maya Communication; The Maya developed an advanced form of writing that used many symbols. Our writing system uses 26 letters. They recorded information on large stone monuments. Some early civilizations drew pictures on cave walls. The Maya also made books out of paper made from the fig tree bark.

Geography and the Early Maya The early Maya lived in small, isolated villages. Eventually, the villages started trading with one another and all the villages started to grow larger. The region of Mesoamerica stretches from the central area of Mexico south to the northern part of Central America. Around the 1000 BC the Maya began settling in the lowlands off what is now Guatemala. Thick tropical forest covered most of the land, but the people cleared the areas to farm. They grew crops, including beans, squash, avocados and maize (corn).

The Classic Age The Maya civilization reached its height between about AD 250 and 900. During this time, Maya territory grew. Maya cities were known as city-states. Each had its own government and king. Trade helped hold their civilization together. The Maya’s also had grand buildings, such as palaces decorated with carvings and paintings. They also built stone pyramids topped with temples.

Maya Culture In Maya society, people’s everyday lives we heavily influenced by two main forces. One was religion, and the other was social structures. In the society the king held the greatest amount of power. He was thought to be related to the Gods. Priest, Merchants and noble warriors were part of the upper class. But, most Maya were part of the lower class. They were farming families who lived outside the cities. The women cared for the children, cooked, made yarn, and wove cloth. The men farmed, hunted, and crafted tools.

Religion The Maya worshipped many gods. They were polytheistic. They didn’t make very many human sacrifices at all! They were kind to the human people. They believed in a different aspect in the human life. The Mayan believed the blood would be good to prevent disasters.

Achievements Observatory's Two calendars Guided planting Harvesting Mathematics Symbol for zero Writing System Art and Architecture Jade and Gold Jewelry Temple Pyramids

Decline of Maya Civilization The Mayan civilization began to collapse in the AD 900’s. People stopped building temples and other structures. They left the cities and moved back to the country side. Historians aren't sure but they think a combination of factors was probably responsible. Factors; -The burden on the common people, The king forced their subjects to farm for them or work for them. Perhaps people didn’t want to work for the kings. They might of decided to rebel against their ruler’. Increased warfare between cities.

Summary and Preview The Maya built a civilization that peeked between 250 and 900 but later collapsed for some unknown reason. In section 2 you will learn about another people of Mesoamerica, the Aztecs.

Key Terms and People Maize: Corn Pacal Observatories: Buildings from which people could study the sky Rebel: To fight against authority Aspect: Part of something Yucatan Peninsula: Southern East Mexico Polytheistic: Believe in more than one God Mesoamerica: Central America City-state: Cities that acted like their own state Trade/ Products: Exchange of goods

Bibliographyx http://www.google.com/ http://my.hrw.com/ Extra’s: http://wsu.edu/~dee/CIVAMRCA/MAYAS.HTM http://www.crystalinks.com/mayanhistory.html http://mayaruins.com/