The document discusses the Olmec and Maya civilizations, detailing the Olmecs as the earliest known American civilization with a focus on their religious practices and significant contributions like carved stone heads and a writing system. The Maya civilization flourished later, characterized by advanced farming techniques, impressive architecture, and a rich cultural life, including a complex calendar and hieroglyphic writing. Both civilizations left a legacy that influenced later societies in Middle America, though the reasons for the eventual decline of the Maya around 900 AD remain uncertain.

1. OLMECS AND MAYAS
Based on: http://www.slideshare.net/jmarazas/wh-
chapter-7-olmecs-and-mayas#

2. LEGACY OF THE OLMECS
 The earliest American civilization emerged in the
tropical forests along the Mexican Gulf Coast
 The Olmec civilization lasted from about 1400BC-
500BC
 Archaeologists know very little about the Olmecs
 Rich tombs and temples suggest that a powerful
class of priests and aristocrats stood at the top of
Olmec society
 The Olmecs did not build cities---instead they built
ceremonial centers

3. OLMEC MAP

4. OLMECS

5. LEGACY OF THE OLMECS
 The most dramatic remains of the Olmec civilization
are the giant carved stone heads found in the ruins
of a religious center at La Venta
 No one knows how the Olmecs moved these
colossal 40-ton stones from distant quarries without
wheeled vehicles or draft animals

6. OLMEC STONE HEAD

7. LEGACY OF THE OLMECS
 Through trade, Olmec influence spread over a wide
area
 The Olmecs invented a calendar and used carved
inscriptions as a form of writing
 Their most important legacy may be the tradition of
priestly leadership and religious devotion that
became a basic part of later Middle American
civilizations

8. INTRODUCTION TO THE MAYANS
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkTaSiAmnwg

9. THE WORLD OF THE MAYAS
 Between 300AD-900AD Mayan city-states
flourished from the Yucatan in southern Mexico
through much of Central America
 Mayans used a unique method of farming in the
tropical environment---they cleared the dense rain
forests and then built raised fields that caught and
held rainwater
 They also built channels to drain excess water
 This complex system produced enough maize
(native corn) and other crops to support rapidly
growing cities

10. YUCATAN PENINSULA

11. YUCATAN PENINSULA AND MAYAN EMPIRE

12. MAYANS

13. MAYAN FARMS

14. MAIZE

15. TEMPLES AND PALACES
 Towering pyramid temples dominated the largest
Mayan city of Tikal, located in present-day
Guatemala
 Priests climbed steep temple stairs to perform
sacrifices while the people watched from the plazas
below
 The Mayan pyramids remained the tallest
structures in the world until 1903 when the Flatiron
Building skyscraper was built in New York City

16. TIKAL

17. TIKAL

18. TEMPLES AND PALACES
 Tikal also boasted large palaces and huge stone
pillars covered with carvings
 The carvings recorded event in Mayan history
 Much of the wealth of Tikal and other Mayan cities
came from trade
 Goods traded included: honey, cocoa, cotton
cloth, and feathers

19. CHICHEN ITZA

20. CHICHEN ITZA

21. TULUM

22. TULUM

23. TULUM

24. TULUM

25. TULUM

26. ENGINEERING AN EMPIRE
 Watch the episode of Engineering and Empire and
describe the building techniques and importance of:
 Tikal
 Palenque
 Chichen Itza

27. SOCIAL CLASSES
 Each Mayan city has its own ruling chief
 Nobles served as military leaders and officials who
managed public works, collected taxes, and
enforced laws
 Rulers were usually men, however, Mayan records
and carvings show that women occasionally
governed on their own or in the name of young
sons
 Priests held great power because only they could
conduct the elaborate ceremonies needed to
ensure good harvests and success in war

28. SOCIAL CLASSES
 Most Mayans were farmers
 They grew corn, beans, squash---the basic food
crops of Middle America---as well as fruit
trees, cotton, and brilliant tropical flowers
 Men grew the crops while women turned them into
food
 To support the cities, farmers paid taxes in food and
helped build the temples

29. ADVANCES IN LEARNING
 The Mayans developed a hieroglyphic writing
system, which has only recently been deciphered
 Mayan scribes kept their sacred knowledge in
books made of bark (Spanish conquistadors later
burned most of these books but a handful were
taken to Europe and are in museums)
 Many priests were expert mathematicians and
astronomers and developed an accurate 365-day
solar calendar
 Mayan priests invented a numbering system and
understood the concept of zero

30. MAYAN HIEROGLYPHS

31. ENTERTAINMENT: MAYAN BALL GAME
 1st Team Sport in History (3500 years ago)
 Much of society revolved around the game
 Survival of both the players and spectators
depended upon the results of the game
 Mayans sacrificed people to the gods to keep the
sun shining, crops growing and keep people
healthy.
 What was more valuable than a ball player??

32. MAYAN BALL GAME
 The goal of the game was to pass the ball
around, without having it touch your hands, and
then get the ball to pass through one of the rings.
 Since the rings were so high and players were not
allowed to use their hands, it was extremely difficult
to get the ball through a ring.
 In fact, when a player did manage to get a ball
through a ring, that usually ended the game.
 People would gamble on the results

33. MAYAN BALL GAME
https://www.youtube.com/watch
?v=_ZYpRsxqfFg

34. MAYAN BALL GAME

35. WHAT’S UP WITH THE MAYAN CALENDAR?
 Was supposedly supposed to end on the Winter
Solstice in December 2012
 Calendar wasn’t invented by the Mayans, most
cultures in the areas used it
 Consists of 3 different wheels – Date, Tzolkin
(Divine) and Haab (Civil)
 A typical Mayan date would read: 13.0.0.0.0 4 Ahau
8 Kumku, where 13.0.0.0.0 is the Long Count
date, 4 Ahau is the Tzolkin date and 8 Kumku is the
Haab date.
 Works in a cycle and a set number of days needs to
occur before a new cycle begins

36. MAYAN CALENDAR
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2f3Ae
JOPyI

37. DECLINE
 About 900AD, the Mayans abandoned their
cities, leaving their great stone palaces and temples
to be swallowed up by the jungle (some of these
were not “rediscovered” till modern times)
 No one knows for sure why the Mayan civilization
declined
 Some remnants of the civilization survive today:
millions of people in Guatemala and southern
Mexico speak Mayan languages and are
descendents from the original Mayans

38. INVESTIGATION
 Exercise to determine why the Mayans fell
 Some causes may have been---frequent
warfare, overpopulation and over farming, and
heavy taxes

39. OTHER SOURCES
 http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/worldhi
story/mayanballgame.htm
 http://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/mayan.html