The Maya

On which geographic feature did the Maya civilization grow?

• Amazon River

• South America

• Atlantic Ocean

• Yucatán Peninsula

How did Maya farmers adapt to the mountainous terrain of Mesoamerica? Select the two correct answers.

• They only farmed in the lowlands.

• They cut flat terraces into the hillsides.

• They raised grazing animals like sheep.

• They developed ways to store rainwater.

• They grew more vegetables and less fruits.

What does this sculpture represent?

• a human sacrifice to the Maya’s gods

• the Maya story about the creation of humans

• the importance of the cacao bean to the Maya

• a Maya child’s initiation ceremony into adulthood

Tags

CCSS.RI.3.7

CCSS.RI.4.7

CCSS.RI.5.7

CCSS.RL.3.7

CCSS.RL.4.7

What is the game depicted in the image called?

• pok-ta-pok

• wall-by-wall

• slap-ne-slap

• hand-to-hand

What was the most dangerous part of the game?

• Players on the losing team were sometimes sacrificed to the gods.

• Players were not allowed to use their hands or feet to throw or kick the ball.

• Players were awarded points based on how much they hurt the other team.

• Players who performed poorly would be kicked out of Maya society for weakness.

Tags

CCSS.RI.3.2

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RL.3.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

According to Maya religious tradition, from what did the gods successfully make humans?

• fire

• clay

• corn

• wood

Tags

CCSS.RL.4.9

CCSS.RL.8.9

Historians know equinoxes were important to the Maya because of the pyramid at Chichén Itzá and its __ .

• decorations honoring the Maya gods of sunlight and darkness, which turn golden exactly at noon on the equinox

• decorative fountains, which turn crystal clear on the equinox and become cloudy before the sun sets again

• mountaintop location, which receives the light of the equinox before anywhere else in Mesoamerica

• statue of a snake, which casts a shadow that slithers down the pyramid steps only on the equinox

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.8

CCSS.RI.5.8

CCSS.RI.6.8

CCSS.RL.4.5

CCSS.RI.6.1

How were pyramids used in Maya culture?

• They were places of worship.

• They were marketplaces.

• They were burial sites.

• They were palaces.

What type of writing system did the Maya use?

• pictographs

• dots and dashes

• hieroglyphic symbols

• letters of the alphabet

Tags

CCSS.RF.3.3B

CCSS.RF.3.3C

CCSS.RF.3.3D

CCSS.RF.4.3A

CCSS.RF.5.3A

Which conclusion about the ancient Maya is best shown by their calendar system?

• They created new styles of art.

• They designed cities to look the same.

• They had great understanding of geography.

• They had advanced knowledge of mathematics.