Part 1: Government and Cities
Under Maya, click on Government:
1. What did each Mayan city-state have?
Own independent government
2. About how many city-states where within the Mayan Civilization?
Hundreds
3. What was each Mayan city-state ruled by?
A king
4. What class were the council of leaders picked from?
Nobles
5. Why were priests so powerful in the Mayan government?
Religion was very important to the Maya
6. What was the punishment for most major crimes in Mayan society?
Death
7. What did a shaven head represent in Mayan society?
Sign of shame
8. Did the Mayans have women leaders?
Yes
9. Besides paying taxes, what were Mayan men from the commoners class expected to
do?
Serve as warriors
Under Maya, click on Sites and Cities
10. What were the central buildings and complexes of Mayan cities aligned with?
Sun
11. What types of buildings would be in the center of Mayan cities?
Palaces, pyramids, and temples
12. What were Mayan cities generally located near?
Trade routes and good farmland
13. About how many people lived in El Mirador at its peak?
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100,000 people
14. What is unique about the La Danta temple?
The La Danta temple is considered one of the largest pyramids in the world by total
volume
15. What was one of the most powerful city-states in the Classic period of Maya
history?
Tikal
16. List several of the unique structures/buildings that Chichen Itza had:
Large pyramids, giant ball court, temple for warriors
17. What was unique about the city of Palenque?
Known as the "Red City" because its buildings were all painted red
Under Maya, click on Pyramids and Architecture
18. What covered Mayan buildings and pyramids?
Carvings to honor the gods and kings
19. What were the two “groups” the Mayans built pyramids for?
First type of pyramid was designed for the priests to walk on
The second type was designed for the gods, so they were very steep
20. How many steps does the El Castillo Pyramid have? Why?
365, a step for each day of the year
21. What type of building did each Mayan city-state have for the royal family?
A large palace
22. What were Mayan ball courts sometimes attached to?
Temples
23. What did the Mayans sometimes build new pyramids on top of?
Old pyramids
Part 2: Daily Life of the Mayans
Under Maya, click on Daily Life
24. What was life like as a Mayan noble?
All of their needs were met. They had an easy life
25. What type of work did most Mayan peasants do?
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Farming
26. What was an important part of the day for all Mayan people?
Bathing
27. What would men and women typically work on in the evening?
Crafts, tools, and clothing
28. What type of clothing would the wealthy wear?
The wealthy wore colorful clothing made from animal skins and also had feather
headdresses
29. What type of clothing would common men and women wear?
Men wore loincloths while women wore long skirts
30. Once married, what did men and women decorate their bodies with?
Tattoos
31. What type of food products did the Mayans make from maize/corn?
Tortillas, porridge, drinks
32. What food product came from the cacao tree?
Chocolate
33. What did the Mayans use cacao seeds as?
Money
34. List several of the other unique foods that the Mayan ate:
Tomatoes, sweet potatoes, black beans, and papaya
35. What were the houses of Mayan commoners like?
Usually one room and elevated to prevent flooding
36. What was most Mayan entertainment centered on?
Religious ceremonies
37. List the physical features that the Mayans considered to be beautiful?
Maya considered crossed eyes, flat foreheads, and big noses to be beautiful features
38. What was unique about Mayan hats and headdresses?
The more important the person, the taller the hat they wore
Part 3: Writing, Numbers, and Calendar
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Under Maya, click on Writing, Numbers, and Calendar
39. What type of writing did the Mayans have?
Hieroglyphics
40. What is a Mayan book called?
Codex
41. What was the Mayan base number for math?
20
42. What did the number zero look like?
It look like a shell
43. What were the two types of calendars the Mayans had?
Religious calendar and a solar calendar
44. What happened during the New Fire Festival?
All the fires throughout their households would be put out and they would throw
away all their clay utensils
45. Why did the Spanish destroy the Mayan books?
They thought they were bad or evil
46. What was Mayan black ink made from?
Coal
Part 4: Art
Under Maya, click on Art
47. About how long did the Mayan civilization exist?
1500 years
48. List several of the influences on Mayan art?
Olmecs and the Toltecs
49. What is a stela? Who did stelas typically honor?
A stela was a large tall stone slab covered with carvings and writing, it usually
honored a king
50. List some of the parts of Mayan life that murals focused on?
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Daily life, mythology, battles, and religious ceremonies
51. What materials were Mayan books made from?
Leather or bark paper
52. What type of musical instruments did the Mayans use?
Wind instruments, drums, and rattles
53. Why would kings often commission works of art?
To commemorate events in their lives
Part 5: Gods and Mythology
Under Maya, click on Gods and Mythology
54. Why is Itzamna an important Mayan god?
He created the Earth
55. What does the name “Kukulkan” mean?
"Feathered serpent"
56. Why were Mayan kings so religiously important?
Kings were thought to be gods themselves
57. What were some of the services Mayan priests were expected to perform?
Rituals to keep the people in the favor of the gods, answers will vary
58. Who were the only people who started out in heaven according to the Mayan
viewpoint on the afterlife?
Women who died in childbirth and people who had been sacrificed to the gods
59. When did the Mayans think the world would come to an end?
December 21, 2012
60. What grade would you give the Mayans for their achievements and treatment of
human beings?
A
B
C
D
F
Please explain the reason behind your grade!
Answers will vary
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