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47 Cards in this Set

  • Front
  • Back
What are the 3 regions that the Mayan Empire was divided into?
Northern Lowlands, Central Lowlands, Southern Highlands
Describe the climate and geography of the Northern Lowlands.
hot, dry, prone to drought (flat lands)
Describe the climate and geography of the Central Lowlands.
hot and humid (rainforests)
Describe the climate and geography of the Southern Highlands.
Cool, temperate (mountainous)
Define: Codex
a secret book of Mayan knowledge that told stories of daily life. Each city-state had their own.
Define: Chac
god of rain
Yucatan Peninsula
mostly located in Mexico, it extends into the Gulf of Mexico. Most of the Myan civilization lived on this peninsula.
Stele
and ancient upright stone carving that told the story of each Mayan city-state. The stele contained carvings of daily life, important dates & people.
Popol Vuh
The sacred Mayan book tha
Popol Vuh
the sacred Mayan book that explaines the creation of mankind.
maize
corn
Cacao
the bean from which cocoa is made.
ItzamNa
Head of the Mayan gods (created the world).
When was the Classic Period?
300-900 CE
Describe the characteristics of the Classic Period.
Cities began to develop during this time, religion developed, market places for trading began. Schools were established to preserve culture. Noble lords ruled city-states.
Why did Mayans form a loose confederation?
for the benefit of trade and exchange of ideas.
What advances did the Mayan have?
math, architecture, astronomy, writing, time and calendar.
What brought about the end of the Classic Period?
no one knows for sure, but possible reasons are fighting, drought, disease, famine.
When did the Post Classic Period begin?
900 CE
What happened between the Classic Period and Post Classic Period?
It was a time of unrecorded Mayan history.
Describe the characteristics of the Post Classic Period?
Most likely fighting amongst themselves.
Describe the Mayan interaction with the Spanish.
The spanish attempted to wipe out what was left of the Mayan civilizations when they arrived.
Describe the city-state: Tulum
most beautiful of the city-states; located directly on the Caribbean Sea; It was successful because it could acquire and trade goods from the sea. Other city-states could easily reach Tulum by boat.
Describe the city-state:
Chichen Itza
large well-preserved city. It grew to power & wealth due to its central location along trade routes. Huge pyramids were used during human sacrifice.
Describe the city-state;
Uxmal
close to trade in proximity to Chichen Itza. Detailed architecture with elaborate decorations & bright color adorn the city. Its Pyramid of the Magician has unusual rounded corners.
Describe the city-state: Mayapan
huge powerful walled city. Close to Chichen Itza & Uxmal. Strong military rule attempted to become the center of the Mayan Empire. It is thought that their military greed lead to their downfall.
Describe the city-state: Tikal
largest of the Mayan cities. Located in a dense jungle region. Its wealth was unsurpassed by any other.
Describe the city-state: Palenque
Eastern most city. Isolated from many other city-states. Close to a fresh water source allowed for stable living conditions.
What did the Mayan believe they were made from?
corn
What other foods did the Mayan eat?
Beans and Squash
Why did the Mayan develop storage techniques?
Farmers developed these techniques so they could have corn during time of poor core production.
Why did the Mayan burn their crops?
It would help to not only clear the land but to give nutrients to the soil for planting.
When did the Mayans first settle in Mesoamerica?
2000 BCE
What modern day countries did they settle in?
El Salvador, Honduras, Belize, Mexico, Guatemala
What was the Mayan social system?
ruling class, nobility, peasants, and slaves.
What was the responsibilities of the Ruling Class.
governed each of the Mayan cities. Kings performed the religious duties of priests.
What was the responsibilies of the Nobility class?
included scholars, architects, and merchants. They were educated & wealthy. Warriors were included in this class.
What was the responsibilites of the Peasant class?
peasants included farmers & laborers. They made up the vast majority of the population.
What was the responsibilities of the Slaves?
mostly criminals & people captured in war. Orphaned children sometimes became slaves and were required to do what ever was asked of them.
Why was religion an important part of daily life for the Mayan?
They worshiped more than 160 gods/goddesses. To get help from the gods, they prayed, fasted, & offered sacrifices. They expected their rulers to communicate to the gods on their behalf. They viewed the after life an an unhappy existence.
Describe the Mayan Ball Game (Pok-a-tok), and it's importance.
The ball game was played on a court using a 5 lb. rubber ball. Players had to compete as a team to hit the ball through a hoop 25 ft. in the air. Players could not use their hands. Winners were treated as heroes & given a banquet. Losers were sacraficed. It was an important religious ceremony because it honored Mayan heroes & sacrifice helped appease the gods & help with the harvest.
Why were steles important?
They told the history of each city-state.
What was the Mayan matematical system?
The Maya developed a mathematical system based on the number 20. They used a dot to represent 1 & a bar to represent 5. The Maya combined these symbols to show other numbers. The Maya were one of the first people to use the zero.
How does the Mayan mathematical system differ from ours?
They represented their numbers differently from ours.
Identify Mayan advances in science, math, and astronomy.
Astronomy: charted stars, predicted eclipses.
Used math to produce an accurate calendar system.
Calendar used to keep precise records.
Also, used calendar to determine th best time to plant seeds. (science)
List some similarities of the Mayan city-states.
Each one contained palaces, steles, plazas, ball courts, & pyramids. They each contained a codex and worshiped the same gods. They relied on each other for trade and all used the same Mathematical system.
List some differences between the Mayan city-states.
climates varied among regions, each city-state had their own unique history, some city-states focused on art and architecture while others focused on military strength & strategy. Each city-state had unique items for trade.