Both of these vast groups of people believed that the fate of their lives were in the hands of these gods. The Egyptians relied on them to flood the Nile every year so that their land can be fertile enough for crops. The Mayans relied on the gods to rise and set the sun every day. These civilizations both built massive pyramids, but they had different uses for them. The Egyptian pyramids, which were built 2000 years earlier than the first Mayan pyramid, were used as tombs of great rulers. The Mayans on the other hand, built their pyramids to use as a place of worship. Egyptian rulers were viewed as gods who communicated with the other gods for the people’s benefit. On the other hand, the Mayans didn’t view their kings as gods, but they believed that only their kings could communicate with the gods for the …show more content…
A source of water was vital to the survival of these civilizations. Luckily, they both lived next to bodies of water. The Egyptians, who lived in the Sahara Desert that stretched on for miles and miles, lived along the Nile River, which is the fertile land in the Sahara. The Nile flooded once a year, making the land fertile enough for plant life to grow and for the Egyptians to grow crops. The Mayans lived along the Yucatan Peninsula, which includes many rainforests, mountainous regions, and pacific lowlands. It is very hot and humid there due to the fact that they live next to and in the rainforest. The ocean was a huge food source for them, as well as a place to trade. Since so much of the Maya’s land was covered with rainforests, the Mayans used the slash-and-burn technique. This technique is where they cut down trees and other plants in an area big enough for farming, and they burn down whatever remains. However, this method was not used by the Egyptians because of their desert environment. Both environments provided obstacles for the Egyptians and the Mayans, but they adapted to them and found ways to work with what they