1. Topic: Mayan Farming, Geography, and City States
Unit: Early Americas

2. Essential Question
What influence did geography have on the development of Mesoamerican societies?

3. The Maya

4. Geography of Mesoamerica
Rain forests
The region’s volcanoes
Fertile mountains, valleys, rivers, and warm climate

5. Farming and Settlement
Farming allowed
By 3500 BC maize was grown.
Surplus food

6. The Olmec
First complex civilization in Mesoamerica from 1200 BC to 400 BC.
Writing
Scientific study
Sculptures of rulers and gods.
calendar
Villages and towns
Accomplishments influenced later Mesoamerican cultures.

7. Chavin
Chavin 900 – 200 BC
Located in South America in the Andes Mountain range.
Population
By 2,000 BC they grew

8. Geography of the Mayans
Yucatan Peninsula (Mexico) and into Central America (including Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, and Honduras)
Highlands
harder to farm
mined valuable jade and obsidian
Lowlands
advantages
challenges

9. Used wood, vines, and mud to build homes. Not much usable land.
A. Pros and
Cons
Good land for farming.
Plenty of water.
Used wood, vines, and mud to build homes.
Not much usable land.
Sometimes floods!
Little open space.
Dangerous animals.
Difficult transportation.

10. Think about it! Agricultural Challenge!
How could you clear land to farm in dense forest?
How do you farm on a hill?

11. Problem

12. Solution
Problem

14. Solution
Problem

15. Adaptations
Adapt means to change your environment to better suit your needs.
The Mayans adapted by using “milpa”
Crop rotation
Terracing

16. Crops Maize It had religious, social, and economic value.
The creation story
Other plants were grown for:
Cocao beans

17. Mayan Cities Civilization between 250-900 AD
40 Cities of 5,000-50,000 people each
Farming, Trade, & War

18. Trade=Growth Trade was essential Lowlands cotton rubber trees
cacao (kuh-kow)
Highlands
Jade
Obsidian
- Larger populations
- village growth

19. City-States - Why? - Each had its own gov’t & king - never united
- Structures
- Honoring Mayan Kings
- Pacal
- decorations
- public plazas
- canals

20. Arenas
Stone
“El juego de Pelota”
Similar to racquetball
Sacrifice

21. Warfare City-States power & land Tikal vs. Calakmul - Intense & Bloody
- P.O.W’s
-Result on population
-Result on land

22. Essential Answer Example:
Geography affected the development of Mesoamerican societies in several ways. For example, Mesoamerican societies made adaptations to their environment, such as terracing and slash and burn to make farmland more usable.