1. Warm Up 2/6
Paraphrase two pieces of evidence from your reading that show the Mayans were a highly developed civilization.

2. February 6, 2018 Learning Target (I can…):
Take Out:
Mayan Civilization reading (stamp)
Agenda:
Mayans!!
Skills:
Note taking (without writing everything)
Learning Target (I can…):
Describe the culture, structure, and decline of the Mayan civilization
Upcoming Dates
2/7: Aztec Reading Notes
2/9: Incas Reading Notes
2/9: Latin America Map

3. Where were they?

4. City-States! (think ancient Greece)
Mayan Structure
City-States! (think ancient Greece)
Individual cities with a king as ruler (usually seen as a god) over city and surrounding area
City-states linked through trade and war alliances
Agriculture!!
Provided basic necessities as well as trade goods
Skilled craftsman also created items for trade

5. Tikal

7. Chichen Itza

8. Featured pyramids dedicated to gods that often doubled as tombs
Mayan Structure
Major urban centers
Featured pyramids dedicated to gods that often doubled as tombs
Each city also featured a ball court or many courts
Mayan civilization previously estimated at about 5 million people…until now….
guatemalan-jungle.aspx

9. Mesoamerica ball game Earliest found in Olmec city
Mayan Structure
Mesoamerica ball game
Earliest found in Olmec city
Played by hitting ball through hoops without hands
Loser (we think) was sacrificed
Game had religious significance

12. Mayan Religion
Many gods
Focused on life essentials (rain, sun, moon, death, war, corn)
Offerings of goods or blood
Human sacrifice to the harsher gods to keep the world in balance

13. Math and calendars Days and years had connections to gods
Mayan Advancements
Math and calendars
Days and years had connections to gods
Super accurate calendar based on astronomical (stars, etc) observations
.0002 of a day short of today’s figures
Used calendars (religious and solar) to identify best times for farming, war, and new rulers

14. Most advanced writing system in the ancient Americas
Mayan Advancements
Most advanced writing system in the ancient Americas
Hieroglyphic type symbols (glyphs)
Stone or codex (bark-paper book)

15. Dresden Codex

16. Civilization abruptly declines and disappears Possible factors
Mayan Decline
Civilization abruptly declines and disappears
Possible factors
War between city-states
Invaders from the North (Toltecs)
Overpopulation and over-farming
Food shortage, famine, disease