,

Who were the Mayas

Found in Central America

During time of Greeks and Romans

Very advanced

Many inventions

Zero

Calendars

Chocolate

Maya Eras

First people inhabited

the area as early as

6000 B.C.

Called the Olmecs

Very advanced

Little is known of them

First Mayas appear in

2500 B.C.

Advanced very quickly

Maya Books

Were able to write both pictures and sounds

Similar to our language

Made a type of paper using fig tree bark

Hammered out the bark

Only three books remain

The Great Mayan Mystery

The cities were

suddenly abandoned

Left the cities in a

hurry

Possible Reasons

Famine

War

Rebellion

Spanish Invasion

The Spaniards were desperate for gold

A priest named Diego de Landa tried to convert the natives to Catholicism

Tortured those who refused

Burned all Mayan books

Wrote much of history we have today of the Maya people

Mayan Life

Kings and Nobles lived a life of luxury

Closer to center of city the wealthier

Peasants lived in small huts

Most were farmers

Had to give part of harvest to nobles

Men, women, and children had to help work

Celebrations

Attended by everyone

No one had to work

Played favorite game called pok-to-pok

Only nobles could play

Mayan Religion

The whole society centered around religion

Everything was done according to ritual

Everything was believed to have a spirit

Thought world was flat

When dead, a person went to one of 9 underworlds

Believed everything had its own god

gods could only be satisfied with blood

Mayan Afterlife

Mayas feared death

Only certain people went to paradise

Warriors who died in battle

Priests

People who hanged themselves

People who had been sacrificed

All others were left up to the whims of the gods