The Mysterious Maya “Golden Age” – 250AD-900AD Central America

Maya Cities Two thousand years ago, the Yucatan Peninsula was a busy place. The Maya did not have metal tools—they used stone, bone, and wood tools to build hundreds of magnificent cities. Cities were centers of religion and learning. The Maya studied art, mathematics, architecture, drama, medicine, and music.

Maya Cities Every Maya city had an impressive palace for its ruler, a bustling marketplace, an open-air plaza where people could gather, and at least one huge pyramid, a large temple, and one ball court similar to the stadiums we have today. People came to town to shop, to worship, and to cheer at the ball games.

Cities Question Two of the largest cities were Tikal (tee-KAHL), located in the present-day country of Guatemala Copan (ko-PAHN), located in the present- day country of Honduras QUESTION: What were three things you could find in every Maya city?

Temples Maya religion was at the heart of nearly all of their activities. The Maya were master builders. They built beautiful temples, used as both places of worship and homes for the priests. Each temple had a central courtyard to offer privacy for those who lived there. Typically, the Maya built a ball court at the base of each major temple.

Step Pyramids The Maya also built step pyramids to honor their gods and leaders. Each pyramid had a base with four triangular sides, with steps leading up to a flat top. Some pyramids were 200 feet high. Religious ceremonies were held on the steps so everyone could see them. The most important ones were held at the top.

City-States The Maya did not have a central government. They governed themselves as a system of city- states. A city-state is a region under the control of a city, headed by a ruler or group of leaders. Extremely well-built roads ran for miles through the jungle and swamps, connecting the city-states that made up the Maya empire.

Ruling Families One noble family ruled each city. The job of ruler was hereditary: when a ruler died, his son took over. A council of elders and warriors helped to rule. Other people were selected for government jobs, such as enforcing the law, collecting taxes and led military

Maya Law All Maya people spoke the same language, worshipped the same gods, and wore the same style of clothing. All Maya city-states enforced the same laws. Maya law was strict. If you were accused of a crime, a trial would be held in which a judge would hear the evidence. If you committed a small crime, your hair would be cut short. Short hair was a sign of disgrace. Punishments varied, but the laws applied to everyone, rich and poor alike.

Mysterious Maya One day, after 1300 years of civilization, the Maya abandoned their cities. No one knows why, or where they went. Their cities fell into ruin, and were swallowed by the rain forest. For this reason, scholars call these people “the mysterious Maya.” Today, about two million people of Maya descent live in Middle America.

Codices/Stelae When the Spanish arrived, about 600 years after the Maya civilization had disappeared, they found many Maya artifacts, including codices. The Spanish burned all the codices they found. Fortunately, the Maya also wrote things down on temple walls, pillars, and huge stones called “stelae.”