LOCATION

The Maya civilization was a Mesoamerican civilization developed by the Mayans.

They were located in the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico, parts of Guatemala, El Salvador, Belize, and Honduras.

Most of peninsula is formed by a vast plain with few hills or mountains and a low coastline.

LIFESTYLE

The Mayan families included parents, children, and grandparents who all lived together.

The men and older boys did most of the farm work.

The women and older girls made clothes for their family.

LIFE STYLE

The women and older girls raised the younger children and supplied the house with firewood and water.

The men and boys did the hunting and fishing.

The Mayan children learned various skills by observing adults and helping them because there were no schools.

FOOD

Corn was the most popular food of the Maya civilization.

The Mayans also used corn to make alcoholic drinks called balche.

They raised avocados,chocolate, cashews, chili peppers guava, and sweet potatoes.

RELIGION

Religion played a major part in the daily life of the Mayans.

Each day had a special religious importance.

Religious festivals in honor of specific gods took place throughout the year.

THEIR GODS

The Mayans thought their gods to be both helpful and harmful.

Deer, dogs, and turkeys were sacrificed to feed the gods.

The Mayans sometimes offered their own blood which was spattered on pieces of bark paper.

GODS

Temples were often built on top of mountains so they would be closer to the heavens.

They worshiped their gods everyday.

They worshiped many different gods and goddesses.

HIEROGLYPHICS

Mayan script is similar to Egyptian hieroglyphs but many symbols are phonetic.

They developed a writing system using symbols called glyphs.

The Mayans carved glyphs onto stone tables called stelae.

NUMBER SYSTEM

The Mayans developed a base 20 system.

The shell is a zero.

Each bar represents a five and the dot represents one.

MAYA GOVERNMENT

The Mayans developed a hierarchical government ruled by Kings and Priests.

The Priests and the Nobles made up the upper class, the merchants and traders were middle class and the farmers and slaves were considered lower class.

When the Kings and Priests could no longer serve the younger brothers or sons usually took over their positions.