INTRODUCTION TO
MAYA CIVILIZATION
Mr. Gian Vasquez
SJC
Word of the day!Yucatec Maya
Ko’osh!
Lets go!
bjectives for today!
Discuss reasons for studying the Maya.
Outline the region occupied (Mesoamerica)
Outline the differences between the Archaic period
and the starting of the Maya.
Clarifications!
Mayan” – refers ONLY to the language family
Maya” – refers to culture, civilization, sites, art,
rtifacts, etc.
hy study the Maya?
t’s interesting
t’s another case study for understanding the
human species more broadly
t provides us with a mirror for self-reflection
We can learn lessons that apply to our world
oday
What we learn can help Maya people today.
ere?Mesoamerica?
a region and cultural area in the Americas within which
mber of pre-Columbian societies flourished!
eso” means middle
om central Mexico to:
Belize
Guatemala
El Salvador
Honduras
Nicaragua
Northern Costa Rica
The people that came after the Archaic
were one?
•NO!!!!
ey developed different cultures within different
eas!
we look at chronology the Olmecs came first! Oth
me as well in different areas! Including our fathers
THE MAYA
hy in different areas??
hen the climate changes occurred the ice sheets
elted and different valleys with water were create
he people began to settle around these alluvial soi
ecause they settled in different areas they develop
fferent cultures!
Cultures PRACTICALLY
evolved
simultaneously!
ALTHOUGH SOME
ORIGINATED EARLIER
THAN OTHERS
hat makes the Maya period different from the
chaic period?
guage- Proto- Maya
Chol Maya
guages
ances in Agriculture
ture!
y never regarded themselves as
ne group!
different
mec was a Sister culture to the Maya? What is
t?
means that the Olmec influenced the Maya in several
ings such as Arts, Architecture, religion, mathematics,
tronomy, etc.!
How did the Olmecs influence the Maya?
ade was the main reason how they influenced!
Quiz!!
Journal # 2
• “Archaic and Paleo-Indian people were
intelligent”. Write a two paragraph response on
whether you agree with the statement or
disagree with the statement. One paragraph on
why you think Paleo-Indian are intelligent or
not and one paragraph on whether you believe
Archaic people were intelligent or not