The Mayas
The Maya people were mostly in this country
Mexico
What number did the Aztec invent before the Europeans?
zero
The Maya used tools made out of what?
stone
Instead of using an alphabet, what did system of writing did the Maya use?
glyphs
What disease did the Spanish bring to the Maya that wiped out a substantial amount of their population?
smallpox
The early Maya people fished off of which body of water? (two options)
Pacific Ocean, Caribbean Sea
The Maya built what to study the sun, moon, stars, and planets?
observatories
What was the Well of Sacrifice in Chichén Itzá used for?
live men were thrown in as sacrifices to the gods
Many of the known glyphs were discovered written on what?
stone, in particular on buildings
The city of Mérida was the capital city of which group of people?
Spanish
What type of building were the Maya most famous for?
temple pyramids
The Maya believed that celestial bodies such as planets were what?
gods
What is a causeway?
a raised road, two to four feet high, and up to fifteen feet wide
What type of tree was used to make paper?
ficus tree
Mayapan was the only Mayan city that had what?
walls/was surrounded by walls
What was a physical feature of the Mayan people?
short, straight black hair, painted bodies, tattoos, crossed-eyes, (intentionally) flattened foreheads
The last five days of the 365 day calendar were considered..
What was one thing found in the Temple of the Giant Jaguar?
a tomb, jade, pearl, and jewelry made out of seashells
What is the name for a Mayan book?
What was a major reason that the Maya couldn't compete with the Spaniards?
Spanish had cavalry (men on horses), guns/better weapons, and many small Maya tribes fought with the Spanish against the bigger Mayan tribes.
The collapse of the Maya began with the collapse of the Mayan empire after 900 ad until this world event
Spanish Conquest
What civilization based their calendar on the Mayan calendar?
Aztec
Mayan cities were hidden from modern scientists and not found until the 1800s because?
they were in thick, dense jungles and were hard to access
How many complete Mayan books exist today?
3
The last Maya kingdom to fall to the Spanish in 1697
Tayasal