History chapter 7
What were two main social groups in Maya society?
Two main Maya social groups in Maya society were the nobles and the commoners
Why was the writing system important for other Maya advances in learing?
Writing helped the Maya to record observations and to accumulate a large body knowledge
How were Maya cities ruled?
Maya cities were ruled by hereditary kings who were believed to be descendants of the gods.
How did Maya rulers combine political and religious power?
Maya rulers claimed power by the virtue of their divine heritage. Therefore, they had both political and religious power.
Where did Mayan civilization develop?
The Mayan civilization developed in Mesoamerica.
What were the main features of Maya cities?
The main features were pyramids, temples, and palaces
When did Maya civilization reach its height?
The maya civilization reached its heighest during the Classic period ~ A.D. 250-900
How might the rainforest have affected the preservations of Maya cities?
The rainforest grew over the Mayan cities, which made it difficult for looters to find them and loot or destroy them.
How do scholars verify information about Maya society ?
Scholars examine archaelogical findings and writings of European eyewitnesses of Maya society.
How did the economic system contribute to the Mayas not clustering the cities?
Slash and burn agriculture used vast amounts of land and required farmers to maove their farms every few years.
What kind of writing system did the Mayas have?
The Maya used a system of writing with 800 glyphs, some of which represented key people or dates, other glyphs were combined to form words.
Why did the MAyas use slash and burn agriculture?
Mayas used slash and burn to enable farming in the thin, poor soils of the rainforest?