Objective. Beliefs The Maya were _____theistic The Maya believed in more than 160 gods Primary gods were forces of nature – Examples: The __________ was.

Objective• SWBAT describe the religious practices of the

Mayans.

Beliefs• The Maya were

_____theistic• The Maya believed in

more than 160 gods• Primary gods were forces

of nature– Examples:

• The __________ was an important animal in the Mayan religion

poly

jaguar

sun god, rain god, corn god, god of death

Chocolate God

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

Close your eyes andpray to the chocolate god…

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.

• See video clip on YouTube

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 solar

calendar– 260-day sacred

calendar

• See video clip on YouTube

The Mayan Calendar

• The Mayans had two calendars: a 260-day sacred calendar and 365-day solar calendar.

• Ready to learn how to use the sacred calendar?

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. You must solve these problems.

• 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.

• 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: 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 2: 13 Cimi might not be a good day to attack because Cimi means death and the symbol is a human skull. Others, however, might interpret this as a good sign.

Homework: A Day in the Life of a Mayan _______________

• Write a 2 page short story– Genre: Historical Fiction– Topic: A Day in the Life of a Mayan

_______

• Follow the plot diagram and include a conflict, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.

• Use at least five pieces of dialogue!• Use as many vocabulary words as

possible.– Use the brainstorming chart on the back

to help you!

• I will post the PowerPoints online if you need more inspiration.

• Merits will be given to the best work! The best stories will be read aloud on Friday!

Objective

• SWBAT locate the Mayan civilization on a map.

Where is the Mayan civilization?

• Step 1: Use the map on page 418 to label all countries.

• Step 2: Use the map on page 261 to shade in the Mayan civilization. Use a marker to color code! In which five countries can you find Mayan ruins?

Objective

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

Use the map on page 261 in your textbook to complete this section on page 7 of your notes

Resources in the Peten JungleResource• Rubber tree

Use• Rubber ball for pok-a-tok

Resources in the Peten JungleResource• Cocoa trees

Use• Chocolate

Resources in the Peten JungleResource• Quetzal feathers

Use• Headdresses for kings

Resources in the Peten JungleResource• Plants such as the give and

take palm

Use• Medicines

• 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!