Student Reading Notes for Chapter 23
23.3 Class Structure page 162
The five levels of the Mayan class structure are outlined on the Temple of the Jaguar below. Label each level with the name of the
class. For each class, list at least three interesting or important details about that group’s duties, work, or lifestyle.
The Ruler
•Called the halach uinic, or “true man.”
•Decided when and where to go to war.
•At religious ceremonies, wore a headdress as tall as a person.
•Was influenced by female family members.
Nobles and Priests
•Only priests and nobles knew how to read and write.
•Nobles gathered taxes, supplies, and labor for important projects.
•Nobles led peasant armies in times of war.
•Priests led rituals and performed sacrifices.
Merchants and Artisans
•Merchants traveled by sea, river, & roads to trade w/other city-states.
•Merchants traded such goods as obsidian, jade, copal, & quetzal feathers.
•Artists painted murals of Mayan life and important battles.
•Artisans were skilled weavers and potters.
Peasants
•Peasant men worked mostly in the fields.
•Peasant women generally worked at preparing food, weaving, &
sewing.
•Peasants also built temples and pyramids and served as soldiers.
•Peasants sometimes attended royal weddings & religious ceremonies.
Slaves
•People could become slaves if their family sold them into slavery.
•Soldiers of humble background who were captured in war became
slaves.
•People who committed serious crimes became slaves.
•Slaves were often sacrificed when their masters died.
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23.4 Family Life page 163 (use this page to show the students answers)
 Imagine that this young Mayan man and woman are seeing each other for the first
time.
 Complete the thought bubbles by writing at least four more qualities that each
hopes the other has to make him or her a good husband or wife.
 Think carefully about the typical tasks that Mayan women and men complete each
day.
Possible answers:
That young woman is very pretty.
I wonder if she is also…
 knows how to keep a clean house
 is a good cook
 likes children
 is a good weaver
That young man is very handsome.
I also hope that he is…
• a hardworking farmer
• a good hunter
• a skilled builder
• a brave soldier
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23.5 Religious Beliefs and Practices
(use this page and the next page to show the students answers)
Use the outline of El Caracol observatory in Chichen Itza to create a
spoke diagram. The order is not important
For each spoke, list at least two important pieces of information
about each of these aspects of Mayan religious beliefs and
practices:
1. Mayan gods
2. offerings & sacrifices
3. pok-a-tok
4. the Sacred Round
See next page for answers
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Possible answers: to Sec 23.5 Religious Beliefs and Practices page 164
1. Mayan Gods
•The Maya believed in more than 160 gods.
•Primary gods were the god of rain, the god of corn, and the
god of death.
•The jaguar was an important animal in the Mayan religion.
2. Offerings and Sacrifices
•The Maya made offerings of plants, food, flowers, feathers,
jade, and shells.
•Animals and sometimes humans were sacrificed.
•In Chichen Itza, humans were sacrificed by being thrown
into a sacred well.
3. Pok-a-tok
•This is a ball game played by 2 teams of nobles.
•Players tried to hit a rubber ball through a stone hoop using
their elbows, wrists, and hips.
•Members of the losing team may have been sacrificed.
4. The Sacred Round
•The Maya’s knowledge of astronomy and math allowed them
to develop a complex calendar system.
•The Sacred Round was made up of 2 cycles. One cycle was
made up of the numbers 1 to 13; the other had 20 day names.
•The Sacred Round was used to determine the best days to plant, do
battle, perform religious ceremonies, and many other activities.
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23.6 Agricultural Techniques page 165
(Use this page and the next page to show the students answers)
DIRECTIONS FOR COMPLETION OF WORK
In the three “fields” around the Temple of the
Inscriptions in Palenque, do the following:
1. In the first field,
o List three crops the Maya planted.
2. In the second field,
o Draw and label pictures or describe in words
3 agricultural techniques used by the Maya.
o Tell in what kind of environment each was
used.
3. In the third field,
o List three theories for the decline of the
Mayan civilization.
o Circle the one you think was most responsible
for the decline.
o Explain your choice.
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Possible answers: 23.6 Agricultural Techniques p165
1. Crops
• maize or corn
• beans
• squash
2. Agricultural Techniques
• In the mountainous highlands, the Maya used a
system of terraces to create more flat land on
which to farm.
• In the swampy lowlands, the Maya used raised
earth platforms surrounded by drainage canals.
• In the densely forested lowlands, the Maya
used slash-and-burn agriculture to clear land
for farming.
3. Theories for Decline of the Mayan Civilization
• The population of Mayan cities grew faster
than their farming systems could sustain.
• There was uncontrolled warfare.
• Mayan city-states were invaded by groups from
central Mexico.
• Drought may have caused massive crop failure.
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