Main Ideas Flashcards
Every Mayan city had a central plaza. Describe what would have been found in the central plaza.
Temples, pyramids, a ball court, and a palace for the city ruler would be found in a Mayan central plaza.
The area acted as a marketplace and meeting place.
What are some items the Mayan cities/tribes would have traded?
Raw materials, feathers, salt, pottery, cotton, textiles, jade, turquoise, gold, copper, silver, animals and food.
What materials were the Mayan tools made of?
Stone, wood, and shell. (NO metal)
What area did the Mayan people excel in?
Mathematics, art, architecture and astronomy
Using their knowledge of astronomy, what did the Mayans develop?
They developed their own calendar.
The Mayans were a polytheistic society. What does this mean?
They believed in many gods and goddesses.
The Maya were the only American civilization to develop this.
Advanced written language
*Sometimes carved onto stelae or to write books called codices.
What was the staple food for the Mayans?
Corn, also known as maize
Describe slash and burn agriculture.
The Mayans cleared farmland by cutting down sections of the rainforest and burning the trees.
What was the weakness of the slash and burn method used for agriculture?
The soil in the rainforest was not very good for farming and it quickly wore out. The Mayans had to constantly burn more of the forest.
