Table of Contents
Christine Honders
Ancient
M AYA
CULTURE
ROSEN / PowerKids Press
Ancient M AYA CULTURE
Christine Honders
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: 978-1-4994-1961-0
New York
Ancient
M AYA
culture
Spotlight on the
MAYA, Aztec, and IncA cIvIlIzAtIons
Spotlight on the
Christine Honders
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
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Mexican_maya_codex.jpg.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Honders, Christine, author.
Title: Ancient Maya culture / Christine Honders.
Description: New York : PowerKids Press, 2017. | Series: Spotlight on the
Maya, Aztec, and Inca civilizations | Includes index.
Identiers: LCCN 2016002138 | ISBN 9781499419580 (pbk.) | ISBN 9781499419610 (library bound) | ISBN
9781499419597 (6 pack)
Subjects: LCSH: Mayas--History--Juvenile literature. | Mayas--Social life and
customs--Juvenile literature.
Classication: LCC F1435 .H765 2017 | DDC 972.81--dc23
LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2016002138
CPSIA Compliance Information: Batch #BS16PK: For further information contact Rosen Publishing, New York, New York at 1-800-237-9932.
contents
contents
Who Were the Ancient Maya? .................................
Early Inuences .............................................
Maya Architecture ...........................................
Culture in Tikal ............................................
Pyramids ................................................ 12
Maya Religion ............................................ 16
The Gods of the Maya ...................................... 20
Masters of Mathematics and Writing ......................... 22
The Maya Calendar ........................................ 24
Pok-a-Tok ................................................ 26
The Mysterious End ........................................ 28
Maya Culture Today ........................................
Glossary ................................................. 31
Index .................................................... 32
Primary Source List ........................................ 32
Websites ................................................. 32
Who Were the
Ancient MAYA?
Who Were the
Ancient MAYA?
The Maya civilization had one of the most advanced
cultures in Mesoamerica, which includes part of todays Mexico
and Central America. While other indigenous people were
scattered all over Mesoamerica, the Maya were centered on
the Yucatn Peninsula and part of Central America. This helped
protect them from invasion by other Mesoamerican groups and
allowed them to rule the region for many years.
The Maya Empire reached its peak around AD 500. By this
time, the Maya had established a very strong culture. Culture
is the beliefs, values, knowledge, and customs of a group of
people. The ancient Maya had many gods, and religion was the
center of their culture. Its easy to see how important religion
was when studying Maya architecture, pyramids, astronomy,
mathematics, and even sporting events. Maya beliefs also
inspired them to become one of the rst ancient civilizations to
develop a calendar.
When some Maya ruins were rst discovered, European explorers thought the
cities were too well built to be constructed by the Maya. They assumed the ruins
were left by other great civilizations, such as the Romans or Egyptians.
The history of Mesoamerica is divided into periods.
The rst Maya settlements existed around 1800 BC in the
Pre-Classic Period. During this time, the Maya became skilled
farmers, inventing new techniques to grow their crops. A
nearby Mesoamerican civilization, the Olmecs, ourished
during the Pre-Classic Period. They were the rst in the area
to build great cities and monuments with stone and brick,
At the height
of the Classic
Period, the total
population of the
Maya may have
grown to around
2 million.
eArlY influences
eArlY influences
Maya
Area
Mexico
Central
America
United
States
Gulf of
Mexico
and they were talented sculptors. The Maya got many of
their cultural traits from the Olmec people.
The Maya culture reached its height during the Classic
Period, which lasted from AD 250 to AD 900. During this
time, nearly 40 Maya cities existed around the lowland
forests throughout their region. This time period is the most
famous in Maya history and is known as the golden age of
Maya civilization. This book will highlight the advancements
of Maya culture during the Classic Period.
Maya ruins still stand across the Yucatn Peninsula today. They give us a
glimpse into ancient Maya culture.
The Maya were famous for their architecture and
highly decorated stone cities. Maya cities were known as
