The Mysterious Maya
“Golden Age” – 250AD-900AD
Central America
Maya Cities
Two thousand years ago, the Yucatan Peninsula
was a busy place. The Maya did not have metal
tools—they used stone, bone, and wood tools to
build hundreds of magnificent cities.
Cities were centers of religion
and learning. The Maya studied
art, mathematics, architecture,
drama, medicine, and music.
Maya Cities
Every Maya city had an impressive palace for its
ruler, a bustling marketplace, an open-air plaza
where people could gather, and at least one huge
pyramid, a large temple, and one ball court similar
to the stadiums we have today.
People came to town
to shop, to worship,
and to cheer at the
ball games.
Cities Question
Two of the largest cities were
• Tikal (tee-KAHL), located
in the present-day
country of Guatemala
• Copan (ko-PAHN),
located in the presentday country of Honduras
QUESTION: What were
three things you could find
in every Maya city?
Temples
Maya religion was at the heart of nearly all of their
activities. The Maya were master builders. They
built beautiful temples, used as both places of
worship and homes for the priests. Each temple
had a central courtyard to offer privacy for those
who lived there.
Typically, the Maya built a
ball court at the base of each
major temple.
Step Pyramids
The Maya also built step pyramids to honor their
gods and leaders. Each pyramid had a base with
four triangular sides, with steps leading up to a
flat top. Some pyramids were 200 feet high.
Religious ceremonies were held on the steps so
everyone could see them. The most important
ones were held at the top.
City-States
The Maya did not have a central
government. They governed
themselves as a system of citystates. A city-state is a region under
the control of a city, headed by a
ruler or group of leaders.
Extremely well-built roads ran for
miles through the jungle and
swamps, connecting the city-states
that made up the Maya empire.
Ruling Families
One noble family ruled each
city. The job of ruler was
hereditary: when a ruler died,
his son took over.
A council of elders and
warriors helped to rule. Other
people were selected for
government jobs, such as
enforcing the law , collecting
taxes and led military
Maya Law
All Maya people spoke the same language,
worshipped the same gods, and wore the same style
of clothing. All Maya city-states enforced the same
laws.
Maya law was strict. If you were
accused of a crime, a trial would be
held in which a judge would
hear the evidence. If you
committed a small crime, your
hair would be cut short. Short hair was a sign of
disgrace. Punishments varied, but the laws applied
to everyone, rich and poor alike.
Mysterious Maya
One day, after 1300 years of
civilization, the Maya abandoned their
cities. No one knows why, or where
they went. Their cities fell into ruin,
and were swallowed by the rain
forest. For this reason, scholars
call these people “the mysterious
Maya.”
Today, about two million
people of Maya descent
live in Middle America.
Codices/Stelae
When the Spanish arrived, about
600 years after the Maya
civilization had disappeared, they
found many Maya artifacts,
including codices. The Spanish
burned all the codices they found.
Fortunately, the Maya also wrote
things down on temple walls,
pillars, and huge stones called
“stelae.”