MAYA CIVILIZATION

TIME PERIOD

• The Mayans existed around 800 B.C. to 1200 A.D
• No one knows for sure why most of the Mayans left/abandoned their cities
• There are still Mayans living today in Guatemela and Mexico
• Most people think the Spanish conquistadors have to do with the disapperance of the ancient Mayan civilization

GEOGRAPHIC LOCATIONS AND MAPS

• The Mayans were located in modern day Guatemela and parts of Mexico
• The Mayans that were living in the northern regions were more successful
• The northern regions had access to groundwater
• The mayans that lived in the northern area had more of a chance surviving the dry season and droughts

ADVANCED CITIES

• Tikal- largest city
• Copan- second largest city
• Coba- has sport arenas
• Chichen Itza- has the human sacrifice tower

Untitled Slide

RELIGION

• The Mayans were polytheistic
• Their main gods are:
• Itzamná, Kukulcán, Bolon Tzacab, and Chac
• Today, many Mayans practice Roman Catholicism

GOVERNMENT
The Mayans were never together as one empire. They were separated into individual states. Each state had a supreme military commander called a Nacom. He was responsible for calling troops for battles. They also had a high priest. He was in charge of the ceremonies and festivals and announces event for the ruler. Each state also had Batabs, who were the overseers and administrators. They were usually in control of the administrative, judicial, and military authority. They made sure tributes were paid to the Halach Uinic and they supplied the troops for war. Each town had councilors, Batab's assistants, and constables.

SYSTEM OF WRITING
The Mayan syllabary has 27 Spanish letters and had Mayan glyphs. Scholars believe the Mayan script wasn't a complete writing system.

MAYAN GLYPHS

NUMBERS

ACHIEVEMENTS AND CONTRIBUTIONS
The Mayans were the first ones to create the 365 day calendar. (They were the ones who predicted that the world was going to "end" on Dec. 23, 2012) They were also the first ones who did astronomy accurately. They created durable rubber, water-resistant cloth, glue, and binding for books.

ARTIFACTS

Chichen Itzá

Cocoa Pot

"THE RING"

SHELL GOGGLES

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE MAYANS
The ancient Mayan civilization has impacted our society in various different ways. Without them, we wouldn't have an accurate 365 day calendar, we wouldn't have been able to go into space, or even land on the moon. The Mayan were very smart. They were the first ones to create/use the concept of zero, they came up with a written language, and they were very good at astrology.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3757509
http://latinamericanhistory.about.com/od/Maya/p/Timeline-Of-The-Ancient-May...
http://www.religionfacts.com/mayan_religion/index.htm
http://tarlton.law.utexas.edu/exhibits/aztec/maya_politics.html
http://www.omniglot.com/writing/mayan.htm
http://www.history.com/topics/mayan-scientific-achievements
http://www.history.com/topics/maya
http://www.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_significance_of_the_Mayans
http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2009/06oct_maya/