1. Maya Kings and Cities
Chapter 16
section 2

2. Key Terms
Tikal
Glyph
Codes
Popol Vuh

3. Maya Create City-States
Southern Mexico to Central America
Highland and lowland regions
Dry scrub to steamy jungles
Mountains stretch from Mexico to El Salvador
Olmec BC

4. Urban Centers 250-900 Classic Period of Maya civilization
Tikal-a major center in northern Guatemala
Chichen Itza major city
Each ruled by a god king
Center of religious ceremonies and trade

5. Urban Centers Mayan cities featured
Giant pyramids, temples, palaces
Elaborate stone carvings
Tens of thousands lived in residential areas around the city
Archaeologists have identified 50 major sites

6. Urban Centers Temple IV in Tikal stretched 212 feet into the sky
Ball court
Stone sided field
The game played religious and political significance
Game maintains the sun and the moon and life giving rains

7. Agriculture and Trade Support Cities
City-States independent
City-States linked by alliances and trade
Cities exchanged
Salt
Flint
Feathers
Shells and honey
Cacao (chocolate beans were currency)

8. Agriculture and Trade Support Cities
Traded craft goods
Cotton
Textiles and jade
Mesoamerica had agriculture
Maize
Beans
Squash

9. Agriculture and Trade Support Cities
Slash and burn agriculture
Planted on raised beds above swamps and on hillside terraces

10. Kingdom Built on Dynasties
Successful farming led to wealth
Social classes
Noble priests and leading warriors
Merchants with specialized knowledge and skilled artisans
Bottom was the peasants

11. Religion Shapes Maya Life
Polytheistic
Gods for weather
Gods for crops
Gods of good and evil
Different directions different colors
Each day was a living god whose behavior could be predicted
System of calendars

12. Religious Practices Prayed, offerings of flowers, food , and incense
Pierced and cut their bodies
Offered blood to nourish the gods
Human sacrifice
Usually captured enemies

13. Religious Practices
Chichen Itza- threw captives down a deep sinkhole lake (cenote)
Also gold and other offerings
Believed human sacrifice pleased the gods
Never reached extremes of other Mesoamericans

14. Math and Religion Calendar, mathematics, and astronomy
Time was a burden carried on the back of a god
End of day, month or year one good laid it down and another picked it up

15. Math and Religion 260 day religious calendar (13, 20 day months)
Second 365 day calendar (18, 20 day months)
Separate period of 5 days at the end
Linked by mesh gears

16. Math and Religion Identified
Best time to plant crops
Attack enemies
Crown leaders
Based on observation of the planets, sun and moon
Solar year
They were only of a day short

17. Math and Religion Used the concept of Zero
Used a shell symbol for zero
Dots for numbers one to four
A bar for five
Base 20 system
Used numbers for calendar and astronomical work

18. Written Language Preserves History
Mayan had must advanced writing system
Glyphs-800 hieroglyphic symbols
Some glyphs were words
Some syllables
Used writing to record historic events
Carving into stone

19. Written Language Preserves History
Codex- glyphs recorded on bark paper
Only three ancient books survived
Popol Vuh- famous book recounts Highland Maya version of creation
Calm and silence were the kings that ruled (pre-creation)

20. Mysterious Maya Decline
800’s Maya abandon their cities
700’s warfare broke out
Trade disrupted, economic hardship
Growing population
Over farming, famine
1500’s Spanish arrive small weak city-states