1. Chapter 23: The Maya Presentation created by Lori Riehl, November 2008
Where are the Maya?
Chapter 23: The Maya
Presentation created by Lori Riehl, November 2008

2. Do Now
Based on what you’ve learned about civilizations in this or other classes, what are three reasons that may contribute to the end of a nation/civilization?
Example: the Romans increased their territory so much that they could no longer defend it.

3. What happened to the Maya?
Unlike the Aztecs & Inca, the Maya civilization did not end because of Spanish conquest.
Read Chapter 23 to gather data about the culture to assist us in hypothesizing about the civilization’s demise.
A hypothesis is…
So, to hypothesize is to…

4. 23.1: Introduction Page 259 How long did the civilization last?
How many cities were a part of the Maya civilization?
In what types of homes did the peasants live?
The photo is from Chichen Itza--Pyramid of Kukulcán (El Castillo)
Question 1: 3,500 years from 2000 BCE to 1500 CE
Question 2: ~40
Question 3: small, thatched-roof house-mounds

5. 23.2: The Development of the Mayan Civilization
Reading with a purpose:
Gather at least 5 facts about the Maya from your section
Use the facts you’ve gathered to create one or more hypotheses about the end of the Maya civilization
Complete the graphic organizer for your section
Photo is of Palenque’s Templo de las Inscripciones

6. 23.2: Gathering the facts
Remember to focus your fact-gathering based on what you believe will help you to form one or more hypotheses about the end of the Maya civilization.

7. 23.2: Creating the hypotheses
Possible hypotheses about the end of the Maya civilization based on facts gathered from 23.2:
[Type hypotheses here]

8. BASE Groups [Teacher adds student names]
Group Members
Group 5
Group 6
Group 7
Group 8

9. EXPERT Groups
Each of you will get a section number of 23.3, 23.4, 23.5, or 23.6
Once you have your section number, you will form a new group with the others who have your section number to work on your section.
Once you have finished the task, you will return to your BASE groups.

10. Your Task In EXPERT groups:
Gather facts that lead your group to one or more hypotheses about the end of the Maya civilization
Be prepared to share your findings with your BASE group
Photo of a glyph (sage/artist) from the Museo de Palenque

11. Today’s Exit Ticket
List 3 or more facts that you learned about the Maya civilization from your group’s section of the reading.
Photo from Chichen Itza--the Cenote Sagrado (Sacred Cenote)--a natural well 60m in diameter & 35m deep (information source: Lonely Planet: Mexico). It is interesting to note that our guide informed us that frequent human sacrifices into the cenote may have poisoned the water supply.
This slide ends Lesson 1 for a 50-minute class

12. Where are the Maya? Chapter 23, concluded
This slide begins with Lesson 2 of the unit (based on 50-minute periods)

13. Today’s Task Return to your EXPERT group Complete fact-finding
Develop hypotheses
Prepare to report to your BASE group—all EXPERT group members share the same hypotheses with BASE groups
Photo: Example of the corbeled arch (and hand-cut limestone blocks described in 23.1 paragraph 3) from Uxmal’s Cuadrángulo de las Monjas. Dr. William Doolittle of the Department of Geography & the Environment (University of Texas, Austin) believes that the Maya were the only people in the New World to develop an arch (the corbeled arch) similar to the arches found in the Old World (notes from lecture on 30 June 2008).

14. BASE Group Task
Each expert reports on the facts and hypotheses his/her group decided to share from the assigned section.
Each BASE group member completes a note-taking organizer to record a favorite/best hypothesis for each section.

15. Today’s Exit Ticket
Based on each expert’s report out, which hypothesis do you think best explains what happened to the Maya? Why? What facts support the hypothesis?
Photo: the face of Chaac Mool--rain god--at Uxmal (his nose is missing). Note: Uxmal (meaning “Thrice Built” in Maya) is unlike Palenque in that the region is dry (not jungle) and depended more heavily on rain.
This slide ends Lesson #2