Daily Life and Society
This "starchy" crop was the most important food in the Maya diet and was believed to be the substance from which humans were created
What is Maize/Corn?)
This massive city-state in modern-day Guatemala is home to the famous Temple of the Giant Jaguar.
What is Tikal?
The Maya were one of the first civilizations to develop a symbol for this mathematical concept, represented by a shell
What is Zero?
This "Feathered Serpent" god was one of the most important deities in the Maya pantheon.
Who is Kukulkan?
Many historians believe this weather-related disaster contributed to the abandonment of the southern cities.
What is Drought?
This was the highest social class in Maya society, living in large stone palaces within the city center.
Who are the Nobles?
The Maya civilization was primarily located on this peninsula in modern-day Mexico.
What is the Yucatán Peninsula?)
Maya writing consisted of these symbols, which represented both sounds and whole words.
What are Glyphs/Hieroglyphs?
The Maya believed their kings' blood was sacred and performed this ritual to nourish the gods.
What is Bloodletting?
These European explorers arrived in the 1500s, bringing diseases that devastated the remaining Maya populations.
Who are the Spanish Conquistadors?
Maya people used these beans as a form of currency and to make a spicy, frothy drink.
What are Cacao beans?
This city in the northern Yucatán is famous for its massive step pyramid, El Castillo.
What is Chichén Itzá?
The Maya developed a complex system of these to track time, including the Long Count and the Tzolk'in.
What are Calendars?
This sacred book tells the Maya creation story and the adventures of the Hero Twins.
What is the Popol Vuh?
This "slash and burn" method of farming may have eventually led to the exhaustion of the Maya soil.
What is Milpa farming?
To farm in the mountainous highlands, the Maya carved these into the hillsides to create flat planting surfaces.
What are terraces?
These natural limestone sinkholes provided the Maya with their primary source of fresh water.
What are Cenotes?)
These bark-paper books contained records of Maya history and astronomy, though only four survived the Spanish Conquest
What are Codices?
This fast-paced game was played in a stone court where players used their hips to knock a rubber ball through a hoop.
What is Pok-A-Tok?
Maya priests used these buildings to track the movements of Venus and the Sun with incredible accuracy.
What are Observatories?