The Maya

Which things did Maya consideredto be sings of beauty?

• Round eyes.

• Flat heads.

• Crossed eyes.

• Long boards.

Answer explanation

The Maya considered crossed eyes and flat heads to be beautiful. So mothers would hang something in front of a baby’s nose to help the baby develop crossed eyes. They would also strap a long board to the backs of newborn babies.

At what age did Maya young people become adults?

• 18 years old.

• 5 years old.

• 14 years old.

• 21 years old.

Answer explanation

When children turned 14 years od, an initiation ceremony was held to mark their passage to adulthood.

What was their system of government?

• The Mayan empire was divided into city-states ruled by their own king.

• The Mayan empire was unified under one halach uinic.

• The Maya elected their rulers, which were considered living gods.

Answer explanation

The Mayan empire was divided into many city-states, each with its own ruler named halach uinic.

 What was the most common job held by the Maya?

• They were priests.

• They were farmers.

• They were astronomers.

• They were writers.

What was their main crop?

• Squash.

• Potatoes.

• Cocoa beans.

• Corn.

What evidence suggests that the Maya abandoned their cities sometime around 900?

• There was a volcanic eruption.

• There was a flood.

• They stopped writing.

• It didn't rain for a long time and the land was too dry.

Answer explanation

Archaeologists believe that the Maya left their cities sometime between 800 and 900. The Maya kept careful historical records. They used their hieroglyphs to carve names and dates on pyramids and temples. Then in the 900s, the writing mysteriously stopped. The temples and pyramids began to fall into disrepair.

The Maya had two calendars and, as a consequence, they had two birthdays.

• True.

• False.

• We don´t know.

What was the Maya calendar system like?

• A 365-day solar calendar divided into 12 months of around 30 days each.

• A 260-day calendar for religous ceremonies and special events.

• A 365-day calendar divided into 18 months of 20 days each.

• A 365-day solar calendar divided into 18 months of 20 days each and a special 5-days month.

Religion was very important to them and they...

• worshipped the corn god.

• worshipped many gods.

• performed ceremonies with gifts and sacrifices to the gods.

• offered sacrifices and gifts to the halach uinic.

The Maya made books from the bark of trees, which Spanish conquistadors found very interesting.

• True.

• False.

• We don't know.

Answer explanation

Spanish conquerors found a great collection of books but they believed these books were evil, so they destroyed them.