Table of Contents
Charles C. Hofer
Ancient
M AYA
TECHNOLOGY
ROSEN / PowerKids Press
Ancient M AYA TECHNOLOGY
Charles C. Hofer
Ancient Aztec Culture
Ancient Aztec Daily Life
The Ancient Aztec Economy
Ancient Aztec Geography
Ancient Aztec Government
Ancient Aztec Technology
Ancient Inca Culture
Ancient Inca Daily Life
The Ancient Inca Economy
Ancient Inca Geography
Ancient Inca Government
Ancient Inca Technology
Ancient M aya Culture
Ancient M aya Daily Life
The Ancient M aya Economy
Ancient M aya Geography
Ancient M aya Government
Ancient M aya Technology
Titles in This Series
MAYA, AZTEC, and INCA CIVILIZATIONS
Spotlight on the
ISBN: 978-1-4994-1983-2
New York
Ancient
M AYA
technologY
Spotlight on the
MAYA, Aztec, and IncA cIvIlIzAtIons
Spotlight on the
Charles C. Hofer
Published in 2017 by The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc.
29 East 21st Street, New York, NY 10010
Copyright 2017 by The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission
in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer.
Editor: Caitlin McAneney
Book Design: Mickey Harmon
Photo Credits: Cover ventdusud/Shutterstock.com; p.5 Simon Dannhauer/Shutterstock.com;
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wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/84/Flower-Shaped_Earares_LACMA_M.2007.85.1-.2.jpg; p. 9 (jade
ornament) Purchase, Jan and Marica Vilcek Gift, 2007/The Metropolitan Museum of Art; p. 11 Fer Gregory/
Shutterstock.com; p. 12 Kiev.Victor/Shutterstock.com; p. 13 Anatoli Styf/Shutterstock.com; p. 14 Jose Ignacio
Soto/Shutterstock.com; p. 15 Brandt Bolding/Shutterstock.com; p. 16 Universal History Archive/Contributor/
Getty Images; p. 17 Arie v.d. Wolde/Shutterstock.com; p. 18 Terry W. Rutledge/Contributor/National Geographic/
Getty Images; p. 19 The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Gift of Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1963/The
Metropolitan Museum of Art; p. 20 De Agostini/Archivio J. Lange/De Agostini Picture Library/Getty Images;
p. 23 Jannis Tobias Werner/Shutterstock.com; p. 25 Rigamondis/Shutterstock.com; p. 26 https://en.wikipedia.
org/wiki/Dresden_Codex#/media/File:Dresden_codex,_page_2.jpg; p. 27 https://upload.wikimedia.org/
wikipedia/commons/0/0f/Takalik_Abaj_Stela_5.JPG; p. 29 (inset) https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/
commons/8/8e/Grabado_de_Hern%C3%A1n_Cort%C3%A9s.jpg; p. 29 (main) https://upload.wikimedia.org/
wikipedia/commons/b/b4/Relief_Showing_Conquistador_Stamping_on_Mayan_Heads_-_Facade_of_Casa_de_
Montejo_-_16th_Century_Mansion_-_Merida_-_Mexico.jpg.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Hofer, Charles author.
Title: Ancient Maya technology / Charles C. Hofer.
Description: New York : PowerKids Press, 2016. | Series: Spotlight on the
Maya, Aztec, and Inca civilizations | Includes index.
Identiers: LCCN 2016002139 | ISBN 9781508149040 (pbk.) | ISBN 9781499419832 (library bound) | ISBN
9781499419818 (6 pack)
Subjects: LCSH: Mayas--History--Juvenile literature. |
Mayas--Antiquities--Juvenile literature. | Central
America--Antiquities--Juvenile literature. | Mexico--Antiquities--Juvenile
literature.
Classication: LCC F1435.3.I53 H65 2016 | DDC 972/.6--dc23
LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2016002139
CPSIA Compliance Information: Batch #BS16PK: For further information contact Rosen Publishing, New York, New York at 1-800-237-9932.
contents
contents
Rise of the Maya ............................................
Advances in Agriculture ......................................
Using Rocks and Minerals ....................................
Expanding Territory ........................................
Plaster and Rubber ........................................ 12
The Mighty Temples .......................................
Medicine of the Maya ...................................... 16
Writings of the Maya ...................................... 18
The Number System ....................................... 20
Looking to the Skies ....................................... 22
The Sacred Round ......................................... 24
The Long Count ........................................... 26
Fall of the Maya ........................................... 28
Legacy of the Maya ........................................ 30
Glossary ................................................. 31
Index .................................................... 32
Primary Source List ........................................ 32
Websites ................................................. 32
The lands of the ancient Maya stretch across parts of
todays Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, and Honduras.
Some areas are mountainous and covered in thick forests.
Other lowland areas are swampy, with dense jungles
along the coastline.
The Maya were great builders and are best known for
their grand temples and palaces. They built canals to provide
water to their people. They developed medicine and wrote
books. They explored astronomy and invented advanced
calendars based on their discoveries.
These advances in technology allowed the Maya
culture to grow and prosper. Scattered populations of people
grew into a strong civilization. Because of their advances,
the Mayas small, simple villages eventually turned into great
city-states . For hundreds of years, the Maya ruled over lands
in todays Mexico and Central America, in whats known as
Mesoamerica. This great culture and its advanced technology
developed over thousands of years.
rise of the MAYA
rise of the MAYA
The ruins of ancient Maya cities like
Tikal still stand today, welcoming
visitors to explore clues the Maya
left behind.
Maize was one of the most important
ancient Maya crops. Today, Maya
people still use maize in
many of their meals.
The rst people living in Maya lands were mostly
hunter-gatherers, which means they hunted animals and
gathered plants for food. However, by about 2000 BC, the
Maya learned to grow maize, or corn. By growing maize and
other crops, the Maya were able to settle small villages that
led to a more permanent civilization.
The lowland coastal areas of the Maya region were
dicult to farm due to large wetland areas and dense forests.
AdvAnces in
Agriculture
AdvAnces in
Agriculture
To manage the forest areas, the Maya used a slash-and-
burn method of farming. They cleared large areas of forest
by burning it. After the re, the ashy soil would be rich for
