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Mayan Kings & Cities

Mayan Kings & Cities. Vocab : Tikal, glyph, codex & Popol Vuh. Began in southern Mexico & ended in northern Central America. Included the Yucatan Peninsula. Northern Guatemala also was part of the Mayan Kingdom. Took on customs of the Olmecs. 250 the Mayan culture was flourishing.

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Mayan Kings & Cities

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  1. Mayan Kings & Cities Vocab : Tikal, glyph, codex & Popol Vuh

  2. Began in southern Mexico & ended in northern Central America. Included the Yucatan Peninsula. • Northern Guatemala also was part of the Mayan Kingdom. • Took on customs of the Olmecs. • 250 the Mayan culture was flourishing. • 250 – 900 AD is known as The Period of Classic Mayan civilization. Maya Create Urban Kingdoms

  3. Built cities like Tikal located in Guatemala. • Other sites were Copan, Chichen Itza & Uxmal. • Were independent city-states ruled by god-king. • Cities served as a center for religious ceremonies and trade. • Mayan cities featured giant pyramids, temples, palaces and carvings. Urban Centers

  4. Pyramid IV at Tikal was the highest structure in North America until 1903. • Each Mayan city included a ball court. • The game was important. The Mayans believed it would maintain the cycles of the moon & the sun. • Used the cacao as a form of currency. • Grew maize, beans and squash. Mayan Structures

  5. Nobility included the priests & leading warriors. • Merchants were next • Master Artisans • Peasants • The Mayan King was at the top. He was also a religious figure. Social Structure

  6. Influenced Mayan life. • Believed in 13 layers of the sky and 9 layers of the underworld. • Gods of corn, death , rain & war. • Made offereings of food, flowers & incense. • Pierced their bodies to make blood offereings to the gods. • Made human sacrifices also. • Believed it pleased the gods and balanced the world. Religion

  7. Human sacrifices were captured enemies. • Led to the development of the calendar , mathematics and astronomy. • Believed a god would carry the burden of a day on his back. • Mayan calendar was a 260 day , 20 , 13 day months. • Calendar was used to plant crops, attack enemies and crown rulers. • Based calendar on sun, moon & planets. • Developed the number 0. Use of numbers were for calendar & astronomy. Religion

  8. Developed the most advanced writing system in Ancient Americas. • 800 symbols (glyphs) were used. • Used for syllables and words. Written Language

  9. Used their writing to record historical events. • Put these events down in a book called codex. • Most famous of these books is “ The Popol Vuh” which is the Mayan version of creation. Language

  10. 800’s Mayan left their villages & cities. • The Toltecs moved into some of the abandoned cities. • The Toltecs changed Mexico. • Some believed the violence and warfare between the cities caused the disappearance. • Food shortages, famine & disease. • Eventually the Mayans broke down into small city –states and withered away. Mayan Decline

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