The Maya

Brittney Carnell

ED520

8th Grade World History PowerPoint Example Slideshow

June 11, 2015

Table of Contents

• Where did the Maya live?• Maya civilization• Maya cities• Maya cities (images)• Maya culture 1• Maya culture 2• Ball court (image)• Ball court (video)• Maya religion• Maya achievements• Decline of the Maya

Where did the Maya live?

• Dominant indeginous society of Mesoamerica

• Maya civilization extended through present-day Honduras, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, and Mexico

Maya civilization• Settlement began around 1000

BC– Small, isolated villages– Forests provided food and

building materials– Villages grew as trade

increased

• Began to build large cities around AD 200

• The Classic Age: height of Maya civilization– Between AD 250 and 900– Maya civilization grew to over

40 large cities

Maya Cities

• Maya cities were more like city-states– Each city had its own government and its own

king

• No single ruler united the many cities into one empire– Trade kept the civilization strong

• Maya cities had grand buildings– Palaces decorated with carvings and paintings– Stone pyramids topped with temples

Palenque

Teotihuacan

Maya Culture

• Social structure: upper class– King held highest position, believed to be related to

the gods– Priests, merchants, and noble warriors also part of

upper class

•Social structure: lower class–Farming families

•Women cared for children, cooked, made yarn, and wove cloth•Men farmed, hunted, and crafted tools•Often had to “pay” the rulers with gifts of crops or goods•Had to help construct public buildings

Maya Culture

• The Ball Game– Almost every city had a ball game court– Could only use heads, hips, and shoulders

to bounce a heavy rubber ball through elevated stone rings

– Winners received jewels and clothing– Losers were sometimes sacrificed as

offerings to the gods

Traditional Maya ball court

QuickTime™ and a decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

Based on what you have learned about the Mayan Ball game so far, does this video clip accurately depict the Mayan Ball Game? What similarities or differences do you see?

• Polytheism– Gods were believed to control different

aspects of daily life– Gods could be helpful or harmful– Believed gods needed blood to prevent

disasters• Bloodletting• Occasional human sacrifices

Maya Religion

• Developed an advanced writing system– Similar to Egyptian hieroglyphics– Also wrote in bark paper books

• Skilled artisans and architects– Used obsidian tools– Decorated buildings with brightly colored

artwork

Maya Achievements

• Civilization began to collapse around AD 900– Construction slowed– People began to flee the cities and move into the

countryside

• Many theories for the decline:– Common people may have rebelled against the

ruler’s demands– Increased warfare between the cities– Food shortages– Climate change

Decline of the Maya

• Where did the Maya live?• Maya civilization: location and environment• Maya cities: government and trade• Maya cities (images)• Maya culture: social structure• Maya culture: the ball game• Ball court (image)• Ball court (video)• Maya religion: polytheism• Maya achievements: writing, building• Decline of the Maya: theories

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