Maya

how many gods did the maya worship

more than 160

Describe the geography and climate of the highlands of the Maya

the highlands were forested mountains and valleys. some mountains were volcanic with very rich soil. the climate was cool with distinct wet and dry seasons

What were peasant girls roles in Maya society?

they learned from their mothers how to cook, make yarn, and weave

Describe the Kings role in Maya society.

Kings were upper class and related to gods therefore were involved in religious ceremonies, led battles, were the wealthiest so wore elaborate clothing and jewelry

List the class structure of the Maya from top to bottom

Kings, Priests, Professional warriors (nobles), merchants and artisans, farmers, slaves

What were the main life supporting crops of the Maya?

Maize (corn) and beans

what was the basic social unit in Maya society?

extended families- a grouping of several related families that lived together that can span numerous generations in one setting

True or False: the Maya civilization was one unified empire

false: each city state had its own government and its own king. some did form alliances and others such a Tikal had spheres of influence that contained nearly 500,000 people

True or False: in the maya civilization large stone pyramids, temples and palaces were only built to honor the gods

false: in Palenque the king Pacal built a temple to record his achievements as a ruler

most of the Maya highland is currently what modern country?

guatemala

Palenque was situated right on the boarder of the highlands and lowlands. How could this have been beneficial to the city?

highland and lowlands in the civilization produced different things that each other needed. being situated in the middle could help them facilitate trade thereby increasing the cities wealth

Why did the Maya collapse?

historians don't know why should I?!?! j/k. There are 4 possible reasons historians came up with: 1. increased warfare. 2. cities grew to big, farmland went bad due to over planting, leads to warfare for more land, war destroys crops making farming more difficult. 3. peasant rebellions. 4. poor climate. Historians agree it was probably a combination of a few of the above.

Describe the geography and climate of the lowlands of the Maya.

hot and flat, the dry Yucatan Peninsula made up norther portion of lowlands, southern section of lowlands were dense hot and steamy rain forests getting upwards to 80 inches of rain per year.

when did the Maya civilization begin to collapse?

in the 900s

why was the number 3 important to maya women

it symbolized the 3 stones of a fireplace

why was the number 4 important to maya men?

it symbolized the 4 sides of a field where they would spend their life

what were steles?

large stone monuments

What happened to the team that lost the ball game?

losers were sacrificed and the losing captain was beheaded

what architectural achievements are the Maya best known for?

massive stone cities without use of metal tools or the wheel

Did the Maya view the afterlife as a happy existence?

no

the maya lowlands consisted of which modern day countries?

northern Guatemala, Belize, and the Yucatan Peninsula of Southern Mexico

What was one of the most valuable trading goods of the Maya?

obsidian-a sharp glass-like volcanic rock

The Maya game borrowed from the Olmecs that resembles modern day basketball combined with soccer is known as what?

pok-a-tok , or, the ball game (so creative huh?!)

what was a peasant man's role in Maya society?

provide food by hunting and farming, make homemade tools such as knives, kept small gardens, went to war if required, built large temples

what farming technique was used in the southern portions of the flat lands?

slash and burn agriculture-farmers cleared small plots of land by cutting down the forests and burning the felled trees and plants to use as fertilizer.

Describe the role of slaves in Maya society.

slaves held the lowest position, carried trade goods between cities, served upper class. captured soldiers, orphans, slaves' children, and indebted peoples were slaves.

what was a peasant Maya woman's role in society?

take care of the children, cook clean, make clothes

other than slash and burn agriculture, what was another technique used by the mayas to increase land available for farming

terrace farming

The height of the Maya civilization is known as what?

the Classic Age

What about the landscape made farming difficult for the Maya?

thick forests

the maya referred to their ruler as halach uinic. what does this mean?

true man

what were trade-able items that customarily came out of the Highlands?

valuable stones such as jade and obsidian

What were important written and oral traditions of the Maya?

writing system similar to Egyptian hieroglyphics, achievements kept as written records, stories and poems passed down orally until the Spanish came and it was written down in the Popol Vuh

At what ages did Maya girls and boys go through coming of age ceremonies?

12 and 14 respectively

What was the time span of the Maya pre-classic period?

1800 BC-250 AD

the Maya mathematical system was based around which number?

20

Approximately how long did the Maya Civilization last?

3500 years

when did the Maya start building large cities?

AD 200

During what period did the maya begin to break into social classes?

Classic

who was the maya's main god?

ItzamNa

What important cities were built during the Maya Post-Classic Period?

Uxmal and Chichen Itza

When did the Maya begin living in the lowlands of Mesoamerica?

1000 BC

describe the role of farmers/peasants in Maya society

were lower class, lived in small houses outside of cities, had to give some of their crops to rulers, work on building temples, palaces, and other buildings, served in army during times of war, if captured in battle, would most likely become slave or sacrificial victim.

Describe priests roles in Maya society.

were upper class and born into their role. led religious ceremonies, were the most educated people, used their knowledge of astronomy and math to plan the best times for religious ceremonies

Describe the roles of professional warriors in Maya Society.

were upper class, fought battles against other city states, wore animal headdresses, jade jewelry, jaguar skin capes, and painted their bodies red black

What was the time span of the Maya classic period?

AD 250-900

when did the Maya civilization reach its height?

AD 250-900

What was the time span of the Maya post-classic period?

AD 900-1520

Who discovered the ruins of the Maya?

American explorer John L Stevens and British artist Frederick Catherwood

Why were people thrown into a well with a 60 foot drop in Chichen Itza?

As sacrificial victims. if they survived the drop they were pulled out and asked what message they brought back from the gods.

The Maya ruler Pacal was known for what?

Expanding Palenque's size and power

True or False: the maya were very advanced during their Pre-Classic period.

False: mayas lived in small villages led by local cheifs. most were farmers

The Maya King 18 Rabbit ruled what city-state and was known for what?

He ruled Copan and was known for bringing the greatest artists and architects of the time to create glorious monuments for his city

Directionally, where were the highlands and lowlands located for the Maya?

Highlands in the south, lowlands in the north

Why did the Post Classic period of the Maya end?

Invasion of spanish conquistadors

what crop could be used as currency in the Maya Civilization?

cacao beans

What was depicted on Steles?

Maya carved glyphs that represented important dates and great events.

Around what ages did maya men and women marry?

Men at around 20 girls as young as 14

The Maya built their civilization in part on the ideas they inherited from what other Mesoamerican society?

Olmecs

Were the Maya monotheists or polytheists?

Polytheists- they believed gods related to different aspects of their daily lives such as sun, moon, maize god etc

What famous book houses famous Maya legends and history

Popol Vuh

What type of art are the Maya best known for?

Sculptures and their gold and jade jewelry, and the stela- a carved stone slab or pillar usually created to celebrate and event or a person.

The Maya reached its highest development in the lowlands. What region is this today?

The Peten Region of Guatemala

Where was Chichen Itza located?

The northern portion of the Yucatan Peninsula

What were the three main periods of the Maya?

The pre-classic, classic, and post-classic periods

Thick forests made farming hard for the Maya but why were they beneficial?

They provided food (animals to hunt) as well as trees and other plants that could be used as building materials

What influential cities were built during the Maya classic period?

Tikal, Palenque, Copan

The Maya civilization started in the lowlands and highlands of central america but expanded to what peninsula?

Yucatan Peninsula

What was the Popol Vuh?

a codex that tells the Mayan story of creation

what is an atanzahab?

a matchmaker in Maya society

why would maya city states fight?

any number of reasons. land, power, control of other cities, control of trade routes, to capture prisoners that were used for human sacrifices in religious ceremonies.

how many cities did the maya build?

approximately 40

How were many of the Maya gods represented?

as animals

Since gods could be helpful or harmful, what did the Maya believe they needed to do to keep them happy?

blood offerings. sometimes small such as tongue or skin piercings, others larger depending on special occasions such as human sacrifices which usual took place at temples

describe Maya warfare.

brutal hand to hand combat using flint knives, spears, and wooden clubs.

what were some important scientific and mathematical contributions of the Maya

built observatories, came up with a 365 day calendar, learned of cycles of the moon and how to predict eclipses, developed a number system that had the concept of zero

What were primary crops grown in the lowlands of the Maya?

cotton, rubber trees, and cacao beans