1. Act. 2.1 The Rise of Maya Civilization

2. Temple I-Tikal

3. Building a Civilization in the Rain Forest Challenges in the Rain Forest Dense rain forests covered much of the land and made farming difficult Climate was hot and humid Depended on seasonal rainfall for water Rain soaked through the limestone bedrock, leaving little surface water Classic Maya Adaptations Successfully farmed in rain forest by using slash-and- burn techniques and a system of raised fields and irrigated gardens Created irrigation networks to support concentrated urban centers, like Tikal Planted and harvested corn, squash, beans & other crops in fields

4. City Centers Built immense ceremonial centers/city- states at different sites Pre-Classic Period Classic Period Post-Classic [---------------------------------------------------][-----------------------------][---------------------] 2500 B.C. 300 A.D. 900 A.D. 1500 A.D. -sedentary lifestyle-greatest era of -increased -developed farmingbuilding, writing,warfare and sculpture

5. Mural from a three-room temple in Chiapas, Mexico.

6. LORD: Was considered a god-king A political leader Mostly men, but women had a great influence on political decisions NOBLES: Lived near ceremonial centers and helped lords run cities Gathered taxes, supplies, and labor for construction projects Served as war captains who led peasant armies during war PRIESTS: Powerful because they maintained favor with the gods Led religious rituals, calculated position of the stars, and treated the sick Practiced human sacrifice Merchants/Artisans: Merchants traded salt, cotton, fish, and animal skins for obsidian, jade, quetzal feathers, copal, and cocoa beans over long distances Artisans produced sculptures, codices, and murals to pay tribute to gods PEASANTS: Men worked in fields/ women managed household Rewarded for their loyalty by being allowed to attend royal marriages and important religious ceremonies SLAVES: Recruited from surplus children, war prisoners, and criminals Required to do difficult or undesirable tasks like grinding maize Not badly treated, but sometimes were killed and buried with master

7. ceramic vessel from the late Classic Period

8. Legends Were recorded on urns, murals and codices The only literature to survive is the POPAL VUH Architecture Decorative stonework, graceful statues, intricate facades and ornamental roofs Hieroglyphics Only Native American people to develop a complete writing system Represented ideas and objects with block-like symbols, or glyphs Ball Game Ball courts still stand at many Maya sites today Game played for both recreation and religious purposes Calendars Religious obsession with time led to development of calendars Used complex systems with several interlocking cycles of time Astronomy Had exact knowledge of moon phases Able to predict eclipses of the sun and moon Mathematics Sophisticated number system based on units of 20, written with bars for 5’s, dots for 1’s, and sign for 0.