![]() ![]() The northern lowland climate is hot, and infrequent rainfall means that there are few permanent rivers or lakes. However, Maya farmers also grew squash, beans, chili peppers, cacao, cotton for the weaving of light cloth, and sisal for the manufacture of heavy cloth and rope. The main crop for the Maya was maize, or corn. The lowlands in the north produced crops. The Maya civilization stretched from southern Mexico in the north - an area referred to as the lowlands that included a hot coastal plain along the Pacific Ocean and a tropical rainforest in the Yucatan Peninsula - to the highlands of modern-day Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, and Honduras. The challenges, however, did not stop the Maya people from building the longest lasting, most dominant civilization in the Americas. The places the Maya settled posed challenges, as you will see. The place a people settle can influence - even determine - everything from the type of government they have and their religious practices to the types of jobs they work at and the kind of clothing they wear. Remember that geography is the study of how people interact with their environment. As always, you will begin your study with geography. Today, you will begin your study of the Maya, a people who built a civilization that lasted 1500 years. They even believed that mirrors were portals, a way to communicate with their gods. The Maya studied art, architecture, medicine, drama, music, dance, and magic. The roads that they built to link these centers of religion and learning ran for miles through the jungles and swamps that surrounded them. Throughout Central America, the Maya built hundreds of religious centers and cities, each filled with huge pyramids and temples, and always at least one ball court. From around 400 BCE until 900 CE, the Maya were the civilization in Mesoamerica. Despite the time difference, there is probably a link between the Olmecs and the Maya. About two thousand years later, around 400 BCE, a new people suddenly appeared. Discuss some of the (famous) Mayan ruins and talk about some that can still be seen in Central America today. A long, long time ago, about 2500 BCE, an ancient tribe of Central American Indians called the Olmecs settled in the rainforests of the Yucatan Peninsula of Central America. Ask students to see if they can come up with uses for the Maya Pyramids. ![]() Show the video and explain that we still have ancient temples surviving today that we can look at and study. Finally, discuss Maya architecture with the students. Ask students to analyze the given images on the interactive whiteboard and to see if they can figure out which people they are portraying. It had a hierarchical government structure with Kings and Priests at the top, followed by Merchants & Artisans, Peasants, and finally Servants. Following this, explain the Mayan government. Ask students to turn and talk to a partner to discuss how they think the Maya used the land and climate to their advantage. ![]() Ask students to drag pictures to help show what the land was like in Mesoamerica. Next, explain what the land and climate were like. Have students circle the countries on the map. Start by explaining the geography of where the Maya lived. ![]()
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