Warm Up, March 13, 2014  The Mayans would flatten their foreheads as babies, sharpen their teeth to a point, putty their noses to make them look like a beak, and force their eyes to be crossed. All these were done as a sign of wealth. What do people do today to show their wealth?

Warm Up, March 14 th, 2014  What do you think is going on in these pictures?

Blue paint  The color blue represented sacrifice. People were painted in blue before being killed. Some methods of sacrifice include:  Decapitation, death by arrows, disembowelment, cutting out the heart  It is now known as “Maya blue.”

Stand and Share—The Mayans

Instructions:  You will work in a group of 3 or 4 others  You will be shown a picture from the Mayan civilization  You and your group are to come up with a list of ideas as to what it could have been used for  We will play “Stand and Share” to see what kind of answers you came up with  This is a brainstorming activity— there are no wrong answers!

Bloodletting  Bloodletting is a Mayan practice that dates back to ancient times and is still carried out today. It is used as a form of medicine, as a way of honoring the gods and sometimes as a punishment. Pieces of glass, rodent incisors and serpent teeth are the most common materials used in bloodletting instruments. Bloodletting was performed by piercing a soft body part, and scattering the blood or collecting it on paper, which was subsequently burned. The act of burning the sacrificed blood symbolized the transferal of the offering to the gods via its transformation into the rising smoke.

Stone Alter for sacrificing  Stone rock alter used for sacrificing people. Notice the lines for the blood to run down.  In this case, a person’s heart was probably removed while laid out on the alter.

Xibalba—the Mayan Underworld  An incredibly dismal place filled with tricks and pitfalls plus 12 cruel Death Gods (Lords). Each one is responsible for human suffering on earth: to cause sickness, starvation, fear, destitution, pain, and ultimately death.  Xibalba was full of tests, trials, and traps for anyone who came into the city. Even the road to Xibalba was filled with obstacles: first a river filled with scorpions, a river filled with blood, and then a river filled with pus.

Number System

Waxed String  Another common bloodletting implement is called the ch'awil ch'ajan, which literally means 'waxed string'. This is a ball of wax, usually about 6 cm in diameter, in which shards of glass or other sharp objects are embedded. The ball is then attached to a rope or string. Often referred to as an autosacrifice ball, it is a self-flagellation device that is used to repent for past sins. A common punishment is three strikes across the back for minor sins and thirteen for more significant sins. Not all Maya used the ch'awil ch'ajan on themselves. Some groups used it as a type of punishment against other people.

Mayan Calendar  5,125 year calendar  Linked to astronomy  One of the most, accurate calendars ever created  Allowed the Mayans to keep very precise records of events  Also could predict eclipses and other astronomical events

Cenote  Used as wells (for water)  Also used for sacrificing people though  At the Sacred Cenote in Chichen Itza, humans were hurled into the cenote during times of drought, famine or disease  While a variety of people were thrown into the cenote, young females were most commonly sacrificed, presumably because they represented power and strength.