MAYANS Mayan Temple at Chichen Itza

Mayans Create Urban Kingdoms The Mayan kingdom included much of the Yucatan peninsula in southern Mexico, northern Guatemala and Belize Mayan Civilization: c C.E. Classical Era

Mayans Create Urban Kingdoms Mayans built many cities in their empire, with pyramids, palaces, sports arenas and observatories. Two famous Mayan cities were Tikal and Chichen Itza Temple at Tikal

Chichen Itza Pyramid

Tikal Temple Complex The pryamid at Tikal was the tallest building in North America until the early 20 th century— 212 feet high

Chichen Itza Ball Court and Observatory

Tens of thousands of people lived in Mayan cities. The center of the city and of daily life involved religious structures. Each Mayan city had a ball court. Mayans believed playing games here would insure the sun and moon would rise and that rains would fall. Cities traded salt, feathers, shells, honey, cotton, jade and cacao beans. The latter was sometimes used for money. Their most important crops were maize (corn), beans and squash.

Clockwise from top right: NASA photos of irrigation canals; the Mayan god of corn (maize); modern maize; modern farm in Mayan region

Mayan Society The noble class, including the god-king, priests and leading warriors were at the top of Mayan society. Next were merchants and master craftsmen. At the bottom were the majority of the people, who were peasant farmers. The king was seen as a holy figure. When he died, his oldest son became king.

Mayan Religion Polytheistic Gods lived in 13 layers of the sky and 9 layers of the underworld. Mayans gave offerings of food, flowers and…their blood to make the gods happy. They thought that these offerings and human sacrifice kept the world in balance. Religious belief led to their development of a complex calendar, mathematics and astronomy.

Mayan Calendar Mayans had a 260 day religious calendar with twenty 13-day months and a 365 day solar calendar The calendars were highly accurate and based on their observations of the planets.

Mayan Writing Mayans had the most advanced writing system in the Americas. Consisted of about 800 glyphs They wrote in books (codex) on paper made of tree bark Most famous book: Popol Vuh— Mayan story of creation

Decline of the Maya In late 800s the Maya suddenly abandoned many of their cities. Why? It’s a mystery, but some theories: Civil war that disrupted trade and city life, or overpopulated cities, or over-farming. Whichever, the results may have been famine and disease.