Geography
This peninsula in southeastern Mexico was home to many Maya cities.
What is the Yucatán Peninsula?
The Maya made chocolate from this sacred bean.
What is cacao?
The Maya invented this number that made their math system very advanced.
What is zero?
The Maya civilization is divided into the Preclassic, Classic, and this last period.
What is the Postclassic Period?
This Spanish misunderstanding gave the Yucatán its name.
What is “I don’t understand”?
The Maya civilization spread across Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, and this country.
What is El Salvador?
Maize, beans, and squash were called the “Three Sisters.” What is the fourth spicy crop they loved?
What are chili peppers?
These symbols represented sounds or words in Maya writing.
What are glyphs (hieroglyphs)?
The Classic period lasted from around 300 AD to this year.
What is 900 AD?
These natural sinkholes filled with water were sacred to the Maya.
What are cenotes?
This type of rock shaped the Yucatán’s landscape and created cenotes.
What is limestone?
Maya farmers used this farming method that involved cutting and burning vegetation.
What is slash-and-burn agriculture?
The Maya calendar had 365 days — 18 months of 20 days plus 5 extra “unlucky” days.
What is the solar calendar (Haab’)?
During the Postclassic, cities became more focused on this (not art).
What is warfare or militarism?
This spicy pepper from Yucatán is one of the hottest in the world.
What is the habanero pepper?
¿Cómo se llama el mar que está al norte de la península de Yucatán?
Qué es el mar Caribe? / What is the Caribbean Sea?
¿Qué animal usaban los mayas para transportar cosas pesadas?
¿Qué es el perro? / What is the dog?
Qué usaban los mayas para escribir sus símbolos?
Qué es piedra o corteza de árbol (papel de corteza)? / What is stone or bark paper?
¿Qué civilización llegó después de los mayas en algunas regiones de México?
¿Quiénes son los aztecas? / Who are the Aztecs?
¿Cuál es la capital moderna del estado de Yucatán? (What is the modern capital of the state of Yucatán?)
¿Qué es Mérida? / What is Mérida?
Nombra dos países modernos donde vivieron los mayas. (Name two modern countries where the Maya lived.)
Qué son México y Guatemala? / What are Mexico and Guatemala?
¿Qué comida era tan importante para los mayas que tenían un dios especial para ella?
¿Qué es el maíz? / What is corn (maize)?
¿Cómo se llama el sistema de escritura maya con más de 800 signos?
Qué es la escritura jeroglífica maya? / What is the Maya hieroglyphic writing system?
¿En qué año comenzaron los arqueólogos modernos a estudiar las ruinas mayas?
Qué es el siglo XIX / What is the 19th century?
¿Qué tipo de clima tiene la península de Yucatán durante la mayor parte del año? (What kind of climate does the Yucatán Peninsula have most of the year?)
¿Qué es un clima tropical cálido? / What is a warm tropical climate?