Do Now

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 not
in 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 the
bride to meet the groom!
Objective
Beliefs
• The Maya were
poly
_____theistic
– The Maya believed in
more than 160 gods
• Primary gods were forces
nature
of ___________
– Examples: sun god, rain
god, corn god, god of
death
jaguar was an
• The __________
important animal in the
Mayan religion
Chocolate God
• Yes, the Mayans even prayed
to the chocolate god!
Close your eyes and
pray to the chocolate god…
Chocolate Goddess Myth
• http://www.goddessgift.com/goddessmyths/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.
• 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.
Pok-a-tok
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
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?
13
• The larger round contains the day names. How many
glyphs are on the larger round? 20
• 13 x 20 = 260 days
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 Cimi
means 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’s
sarcophagus
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 Thoughts
on 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=S5Lp0Kr
QTqM