Do Now

• “All men are created equal.” Do you agree with this quote? Why or why not?

• What is social Hierarchy?

Objective• SWBAT describe family life of the Mayans.

peasants

Family Life of the Maya

• Read section 23.4: Family Life

• Complete reading notes

I hope he is…• A good farmer.

• A talented hunter.• A skilled builder of

temples and palaces.• A brave soldier.

• No longer wearing a white bead in his hair.

I hope she is…• Able to get the fire burning in the

fireplace.• A good cook of tortillas and tamales, as

well as hot chocolate.• Able to care for children and animals.

• A skilled weaver of cloth.• No longer wearing a string of red shells

around her waist.

Matchmaking!

• Those in the center are the matchmakers (atanzahabs).

• Those by my desk are the brides’ families.

• Those by Mr. C’s room are the grooms’ families.

• The brides and grooms are notin this room! Why?

• They do not have a say in who marries who!

Step 1: Decide what you want in a bride or a groom.

• Grooms’ familie s and brides’ families: Circle three qualities that you hope your groom or bride will find in a bride or groom.

Step 2: Find a matchmaker.

• Grooms’ families: Select a matchmaker team to help you find a bride.

• Atanzahabs (matchmakers): Once you have been selected, sit with the groom’s family.

• Brides’ families: Sit, listen, and watch silently.

• Step 3: Find a good match for your groom.

• Atanzahabs: Briefly interview as many families of Mayan brides as possible in the time given. If you find a bride that you think is a good match for your groom, go to the center of the room.

• Brides’ families: During the interviews, answer the atanzahabs’ questions

• Grooms’ families: Sit, listen, and watch silently.

Now it’s time for thebride to meet the groom!

Objective

Beliefs• The Maya were

_____theistic– The Maya believed in

more than 160 gods

• Primary gods were forces of ___________– Examples: sun god, rain

god, corn god, god of death

• The __________ was an important animal in the Mayan religion

poly

jaguar

nature

Chocolate God

• Yes, the Mayans even prayed to the chocolate god!

Close your eyes andpray to the chocolate god…

Chocolate Goddess Myth

• http://www.goddessgift.com/goddess-myths/goddess-chocolate.htm

Sacrifices • The Maya

believed that gods had created the world and could influence or destroy it.

• The Maya believed they could please the gods with a gift of human blood.

Sacrifice

• Both the gods and the humans were required to sacrifice their lives in order to preserve their world and the lives of the people in it. Four times before, the gods had tried to create human beings who would love them enough to share this burden with them. But they had failed, so the god had to destroy those worlds.

Sacrifice

• This time, in the fifth world, the gods gave the world light because two of the gods had been willing to sacrifice their lives to create the Sun.

Sacrifice

• If the Sun ever stopped moving through the sky, it's blazing rays would quickly destroy the earth. Only the heart and blood of a god or a human could quench the hot Sun's thirst and renew it's energy so it could continue it's journey through the sky.

Pok-a-tok• Two teams of

nobles played the game.

• Players tried to hit a rubber ball through a stone hoop using their elbows, wrists, and hips.

• All levels of Mayan society watched and bet on the game.

• Members of the losing team may have been sacrificed.

The Mayan Calendar• The Maya’s used

their knowledge of mathematics and astronomy to develop a complex calendar system.

• The Mayans used two calendars:

– 365-day solarcalendar

– 260-day sacredcalendar

The Sacred Round

• Ready to learn how to use the sacred calendar?

• Each group represents Mayan priests. It is your job to use the Sacred Round to solve several problems for the people of Chichen Itza.

The Sacred Calendar

• The sacred calendar has 260 days. Each day in the sacred calendar consists of a number, represented by dots and bars, and a day name, represented by a glyph (symbol).

• The smaller round contains the numbers. A dot represents 1. A bar represents 5. How many numbers are on the smaller round?

• The larger round contains the day names. How many glyphs are on the larger round?

• 13 x 20 = 260 days

13

20

Pretend you are a Mayan priest…

• When to get married?

– Today is 5 Chuen. The parents of Ix Nic(nic means “little flower”) and Ah Bacal(bacal means “corncob”) would like your advice on when their daughter and son should marry.

– Consult the sacred calendar to determine which day in the next 9 days would be the best for their wedding ceremony.

You try!

• When to go to war?

– Today is 1 Ix. The ruler of your city wants to attack a rival Mayan city in 12 days.

– Consult the sacred calendar to determine whether you would recommend that the ruler go ahead with the attack as planned.

Answer Key

• Problem 1: 9 Ik might be the best day to plant because the symbol for Ik is a germinating maize seed. Others might wait until 11 Kan.

• Problem 2: 7 Ben might be the best day for the wedding because the symbol for Ben, a maize seedling, combines parts of the names of the bride and groom. Others might wait until 1 Ahau.

• Problem 3: 13 Cimi might not be a good day to attack because Cimimeans death and the symbol is a human skull. Others, however, might interpret this as a good sign.

• Problem 4: Preparations should begin on 9 Muluc. One interpretation is that this is a good day to start preparations because the symbol for Muluc is a drop of water.

Objective

• SWBAT locate the Mayan civilization on a map.

Objective

• SWBAT explain how the geography of the Mayan civilization affected its economy.

Resources in the Peten Jungle

Resource

• Rubber tree

Use

• Rubber ball for pok-a-tok

Resources in the Peten Jungle

Resource

• Cocoa trees

Use

• Chocolate

Resources in the Peten Jungle

Resource

• Quetzal feathers

Use

• Headdresses for kings

Resources in the Peten Jungle

Resource

• Plants such as the give and take palm

Use

• Medicines

Is the Peten Jungle a good place to live? Why or why not?

Objective

SW theorize why the Mayan civilization ended

• Population grows…

• Not enough land to grow enough food to feed all of the people!

• Slash and burn agriculture: Clear land by cutting and burning plants and trees, then plant more crops!

• Without the trees, the soil does not hold nutrients…

• The soil quality becomes too poor to support crops!

Objective

• SWBAT propose a theory for the mysterious collapse of Mayan civilization.

Theory #1• The populations of the cities grew faster than the Mayan

farming systems could feed them.

What clues might this artifact give us about the collapse of the Mayans?

Theory #2

Evidence

• Stalagmites in a cave from 440-660 are long

• Stalagmites in a cave from 660 to 1000 are short

Theory

• Long periods of drought caused crop failure.

What clues might this artifact give us about the collapse of the Mayans?

Theory #3

Evidence

• 30 murdered bodies in a well

Theory

• Brutal warfare strategies like poisoning wells may have caused people to leave the cities.

What clues might these artifact give us about the collapse of the Mayans?

What clues might these artifacts give us about the collapse of the Mayans?

http://ancientaliensdebunked.com/references-and-transcripts/pacals-rocket/

Theory #4

Evidence

• Elongated skulls

• The lid of King Pacal’ssarcophagus

Theory

• Aliens abducted the Mayans!

Which theory do you believe caused the collapse of Mayan civilization?

• #1: The populations of the cities grew faster than the Mayan farming systems could sustain them.

• #2: Long periods of drought caused crop failure.

• #3: Brutal warfare strategies like poisoning wells may have caused people to leave the cities.

• #4: Aliens abducted the Mayans!

Closing Thoughtson the Collapse of the Mayans

Homework

• In your notes, write one paragraph to explain why Mayan civilization collapsed.

Check for Understanding

• Which class could read and write?

–A. nobles & priests

–B. merchants & artisans

–C. peasants

–D. slaves

Check for Understanding

• The “backbone” of Mayan society—farmers, builders, and warriors—were:

–A. nobles & priests

–B. merchants & artisans

–C. peasants

–D. slaves

Check for Understanding

• Prisoners of war often become:

–A. rulers

–B. merchants & artisans

–C. peasants

–D. slaves

Check for Understanding

• Priests remove a string of red shells from 12-year-old girls’ waistbands. This is part of:

–A. a coming-of-age ceremony

–B. a marriage ceremony

–C. a sacrificial offering

–D. pok-a-tok

• A Mayan would be most likely to marry:

–A. a person of his or her choosing.

–B. a person chosen for him or her.

–C. a person from a different social class.

–D. a person who lived in another village.

• Mayans were:

–A. monotheistic.

–B. polytheistic.

–C. atheistic.

• The Mayans believed that an offering of __________ would make the gods stronger.

–A. blood

–B. milk

–C. fruit

–D. feathers

• After a game of pok-a-tok, the captain of the losing team:

– A. swallowed a rubber ball.

– B. was sacrificed to the gods.

– C. gave money to the winners.

– D. led the army into battle.

• The Mayans believed that an offering of __________ would make the gods stronger.

–A. blood

–B. milk

–C. fruit

–D. feathers

• The Sacred Round was:

• A. a holy jewel that Mayan warriors rubbed for protection during battle.

• B. a stone used for grinding corn into meal.

• C. a calendar used to determine the best days to plant, hunt, and do battle.

• D. a platform where the ruler stood while offering sacrifices to the gods.

Homework: A Day in the Life of a Mayan ____________

• Write a 1 page short story

– Genre: Historical Fiction

– Topic: A Day in the Life of a

Mayan __________ (not a

priest!)

• Follow the plot diagram and include

a conflict, rising action, climax,

falling action, and resolution.

• Use at least five pieces of dialogue!

• Use vocabulary words from last

trimester.

• Make me laugh! Make me cry!

Merits will be given to the most

entertaining work.

Aztecs invent hydroponics

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5Lp0KrQTqM