Development
Class Structure
Family Life
Religious Beliefs
Agricultural Techniques/
End of Mayans
100
What is the name of the area that Mayan civilization spread over which includes present day Mexico, Belize, most of Guatemala, and parts of Honduras and El Salvador?
What is Mesoamerica.
100
The Ruler: "Halach uinic" is a Mayan word that means...
What is "true man."
100
Name two tasks of Mayan peasant women and men.
What is... Peasant women: - making tortillas, and tamales - caring for small children and family animals - sweeping homes - gathering, spinning and weaving cotton into cloth Peasant men: - farming - hunting and trapping animals - constructing large buildings such as palaces and temples - serving as soldiers in times of war
100
Mayan religion was polytheistic. What did they believe about their many gods, and what are some examples?
What is that their gods were forces or objects in nature that affected people's daily lives, e.g. god of rain, god of corn, god of death.
100
The primary Mayan food was what?
What is corn, or maize.
200
What is the name of the culture from whom the Mayans inherited ideas?
Who are the Olmecs.
200
Nobles and Priests: They were the only members of Mayan society who knew how to what?
What is read and write.
200
Why is the number 3 important to Mayan women?
What is it represents the three stones of the fireplace. Additionally, it represented the three tasks of a Mayan woman: spinning/weaving, carrying water/cooking, and soaking/grinding maize.
200
According to Mayan beliefs, what could only Mayan priests do? Name as many as you can.
What is explaining signs, leading people through rituals aimed at pleasing the gods, consulting sacred books, reading omens, or predicting the future.
200
What was one of the most difficult challenges Mayans faced with regards to agriculture?
What is growing enough food to feed their growing population.
300
What new technique allowed the Olmec people to create permanent settlements?
What is farming.
300
Merchants and Artisans: True or False - Mayan artisans only made objects that were designed to pay tribute to the gods.
What is False. "Many objects" but not "only objects."
300
Why is the number 4 important to Mayan men?
What is is represents the four sides of a plot of land where a boy would spend his life.
300
What did Mayans believe about blood, and what did they do with regards to this belief?
What is that blood gave the gods strength, so they last made blood sacrifices involving animals and sometimes humans.
300
How did Mayans farm in the mountainous highlands?
What is terrace farming (or "earth steps").
400
During the Classic Period, the Maya adapted and developed ideas they learned from the Olmecs. Name one.
What is... a. building enormous stone cities b. building observatories. c. charting movements of the moon, stars, and planets d. creating accurate calendars. e. not discovering the wheel.
400
Peasants: Name one of the crops that peasants worked hard to farm.
What is maize (corn), squash, or beans.
400
In the coming-of-age ceremony for Mayan youth, what did it involve and what did the priest do to signify that the tweens were now "adults?"
What is confessions, cleaning with water, and reciting the rules of behavior. The priest cut a white bead from the boys' hair and a string of red shells from around the girls' waists. These symbols had represented innocence since the children had been young.
400
What is the name of the Mayan ball game in which nobles tried to hit balls through stone rings using their elbows, wrists, and hips?
What is pok-a-tok.
400
How did the Mayans farm in the densely forested lowlands? How does it work? What was the unfortunate outcome of this type of farming?
What is slash-and-burn agriculture. Mayans would cut and burn plants/trees and then plant. Unfortunately, this kind of farming wears out the soil.
500
Although Mayans were not one unified nation and lived in many city-states, name one thing that created their common culture.
What is... a. social system. b. languages. c. calendar. d. religion. e. way of life.
500
Slaves: True or False - Parents sometimes sold their children into slavery for money to feed the rest of the family.
What is True.
500
Name some of the issues that the "atanzahab," or matchmaker, had to negotiate between families.
What is a. how much food or clothing would be given to the bride's family b. the number of years a young man would work for his new wife's family
500
Mayans had two different calendars, one similar to our 365-day calendar, and the Sacred Round. What was special about the Sacred Round?
What is that priests could "read" the hidden meanings, and then determine the best days to plant, hunt, cure, do battle, and perform religious ceremonies.
500
State one theory to why the Mayan empire collasped.
What is... a. populations grew faster than the farming systems could sustain. b. drought c. uncontrolled warfare. d. invaders
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