The Mysterious Maya
400 BCE–900 CE
Central America
Natural Barriers
From about 400 BCE until
900 CE, the Maya civilization
stretched from the highlands
of modern day Guatemala to
the hot coastal plain along
the Pacific Coast, to the
tropical rain forest of the
Yucatan Peninsula.
These natural barriers helped
to protect the Maya
civilization for 1300 years.
The Maya
To find the ruins of ancient Maya
cities hidden deep in the
rainforest, archaeologists have
to hunt on foot. The rain forest is
home to many poisonous
animals.
Some archaeologists are willing
to brave the dangers to learn
more about the clever Maya.
Maya Cities
Two thousand years ago, the Yucatan Peninsula
was a busy place. The Maya did not have metal
tools—they used stone, bone, and wood tools to
build hundreds of magnificent cities.
Cities were centers of religion
and learning. The Maya studied
art, mathematics, architecture,
drama, medicine, and music.
Maya Cities
Every Maya city had an impressive palace for its
ruler, a bustling marketplace, an open-air plaza
where people could gather, and at least one huge
pyramid, a large temple, and one ball court similar
to the stadiums we have today.
People came to town
to shop, to worship,
and to cheer at the
ball games.
Cities Question
Two of the largest cities were
• Tikal (tee-KAHL), located
in the present-day
country of Guatemala
• Copan (ko-PAHN),
located in the presentday country of Honduras
QUESTION: What were
three things you could find
in every Maya city?
Gods of Nature
The Maya worshipped the
gods of nature. Some of
their gods included Lady
Rainbow, and the Gods of
Rain, Maize, and Sun.
Without the help of these
important gods, there would
be no crops and everyone
would starve.
Priests
The priests, along with the leaders in each citystate, were the most powerful people in the Maya
civilization. The Maya believed that their priests
could talk to the gods.
The priests decided when
to plant crops and when
people could marry and to
whom. Before doing pretty
much anything, one had to
ask for a priest’s approval.
The Underworld
The Maya believed in an underworld,
the Place of Awe. The priests held
ceremonies to keep demons and
spooky creatures locked inside the
underworld, where they belonged.
During these ceremonies,
priests wore scary masks and
jaguar costumes. They wanted
to look as scary as the
magical creatures in the
underworld.
The Legend of Mirrors
The Maya believed that one
could communicate with a god
by looking into a mirror.
Legend says…warriors going
into battle wore mirrors on their
backs. The idea was that if an
enemy warrior tried to sneak up
on a Maya warrior, a demon
might reach out from the
underworld and snatch the
enemy.