STATION #5—MAYA EMPIRE

Take notes in your packet in the correct spot about the Maya civilization. Make sure you fill out the chart, too. Enjoy

the pictures at the end!

Mayan Civilization

Mayans Developed in

Mexico around 2600 BC

Spread throughout the Yucatan Peninsula

The Mayans were at their height of power between 600-900 AD

Mayan Writing

Had hieroglyphic writing Has not yet been

fully translated Words were

formed from combinations of signs Had almost 800

signs!

Maya Technology Had a very

complex and accurate calendar Their calendar

was adopted by other nearby nations, like the Aztecs

The pyramid was also used as a calendar: four stairways, each with 91 steps and a platform at the top, making a total of 365, equivalent to the number of days in a calendar year.

This was a version of the Mayan calendar.

Mayan Calendars

The popular rumor nowadays is that the Mayans predicted on their calendar that the world would end in 2012. Some people believe it, most don’t.

P.S. This cartoon is a joke…

Fall of the Mayas

No one really knows why the Mayan civilization fell, but it could have been any combination of these reasons: Not enough food Earthquakes War Invasions Disease

The Mayan civilization had fallen by 900 AD

Ms. Curry’s trip to the Mayan Ruins in Mexico

This was what was left of one of the temples. See the engravings on the side? Pretty cool!

This was the largest of all the Mayan pyramids that are still standing today. We couldn’t go up to the top, but I was kind of scared to anyway. See those trees in the background? Those are normal sized trees. That’s how big this thing was. HUGE!!!

Here is part of a building that was left with some steps. I saw a little friend on the steps. Do you see him? As soon as the picture was taken he ran off, and boy was he fast!

This big lake is called a cenoté. It sounds like sin-oh-tay. In early Mayan history, they used to sacrifice people and animals to the gods by throwing them into the cenoté. They don’t do that anymore. In fact, the Mayans that remain in Mexico rely on tourists like me to make money to survive. Here I am in a Mayan village where they had set up a zip-line across the cenoté. It was really fun, but kind of scary too! See that curved stick in my right hand? They called that the Mayan brake—that’s the only way to stop the zip-line before you get to the end. Those Mayans have some impressive technology!!!

A Mexican cenoté

Once you got to the end of the zip-line, you could either walk all the way around the lake, or take the canoe. Of course I chose the canoe! You can’t see it, but I was sweating an awful lot after the canoe trip. It’s hot in Mexico!!!