A powerpoint of the Maya civilization that I created.

2. Maya were located in
Mesoamerica-central
Mexico to N. Central
America
-Started around
1000 B.C.
Picture from flickr.com by user Urban Sea Star

3. -Lived in the rain forest they farmed and Hunted
-Beans, Squash, Avocados, and Maize
-Hunted deer, rabbits, and monkeys
-Lived in small villages and traded with
others
This picture is from flickr.com by user IITA Image Library.

4.  From AD 250-900
-40 Large cities with own governments and
kings
 Cities were linked through trade
-Lowlands grew crops and traded cotton and
cacao
-Highlands traded jade and obsidian
obsidian picture from flickr.com from user elevenamx
Cacao picture from flickr.com from user Christine4nier

5.  Maya cities in Classic Age
-Large stone temples and pyramids
-Built large palaces
-Plaza’s for gathering and meetings around
main temple

6. -Stone ball court-ball through ring no hands or feet
could be used
-winners received jewels and clothing
- losers were killed
Picture from flickr.com from user exfordy

7. 2 main forces drove Maya culture- social structure
and religion
2 classes in Maya society-were not divided equally
Upper class had the King, priests, merchants, and
warriors

8.  The main gathering place for Maya society was around
the largest temple, where priests would perform
religious ceremonies. This picture is of El Castillo at
Chichen Itza.
 This picture from flickr.com from user f-l-e-x.

9.  Maya King-had religious and political
authority
-related to the gods
 Priests, merchants, and warriors
-rest of the power with the king
-priests led all religious ceremonies

10.  The Kings House at Tulum.

11.  Lower class- most of the Maya
-Completed all of the labor and provided food
-women cared for children, cooked, and
made clothes
-men would farm, hunt, and make tools
-Lower class had to pay for upper class
-food, clothing, salt
-build buildings
-serve in Army

12.  Religion of the Maya
-worshipped many gods
-all for different purposes
-Gods could help or hurt you
-give blood to Gods (everyone did this)

13.  Achievements of the Maya
-Accurate calendars
-365 day calendar for farming
-260 day calendar for religious events
-Great at Math
-Used the number 0
-Writing system to record history
-Art work with jade and gold

14.  This is the Maya observatory at Tulum, where
the priests study the night sky and made
calendars.

15.  Collapse around 900 AD
-Maya left their cities
 4 reasons why they may have left
-To much work for the lower class
-rebel against the king
-Warfare between cities
-killed to many people
-could not produce enough crops
-weakened the soil
-climate change
-droughts (not enough rain)

16.  There are people of Maya descendancy alive
today in Mexico and the northern part of
Central America.
 This picture from flickr.com from user mystuart.

17.  All information comes from:
 Salter, Christopher. The Americas. Austin, Texas:
Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 2009. Print
 All pictures are cited from flickr.com and the ones
not cited were from when I visited a Maya ruin.