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Social Studies > Ancient Maya > Flashcards

Ancient Maya Flashcards

1
Q

Where is Ancient Maya?

A

Central America (what is now Mexico)

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2
Q

What was the population of Ancient Maya?

A

5,000 to 50,000 people

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3
Q

What type of buildings and places were in Mayan cities?

A

Temples, pyramids, palaces, courts for playing ball and plazas

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4
Q

Who ruled Mayan cities?

A

Kings who were also high priest

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5
Q

What kind of power did Mayan kings have?

A

Military power and could perform religious ceremonies

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6
Q

How did someone become a king?

A

It was inherited (passed down from father to son)

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7
Q

What is the “slash-and-burn” method?

A

Cutting down trees and grasses before burning them, and then using their ashes to fertilize the soil

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8
Q

What foods did the Mayas produce?

A

beans, squash, and sweet potatoes

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9
Q

What was the most important crop of Maya?

A

maize (corn)

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10
Q

What foods could be made from corn?

A

tortillas, masa, tamales

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11
Q

What is a tortilla?

A

corn pancakes

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12
Q

What is a masa?

A

dough made of corn and water

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13
Q

What were temple-pyramids made for?

A

Pyramids-bury Mayan kings

Temples- places to observe stars

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14
Q

What is astronomy?

A

The study of the sun, stars and moon

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15
Q

Ball game that was a religious ritual

A

pok-a-tok

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16
Q

Pok-a-tok was a religious ritual designed to worship what God?

A

Kukulcan

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17
Q

The Mayas were the first to use what number?

A

zero

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18
Q

The calendar tzolkin was based off of what?

A

religious

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19
Q

The calendar haab was based off of what?

A

the sun (solar)

20
Q

How many days is the tzolkin calendar?

A

260 days

21
Q

How many days is the haab calendar?

A

365 days

22
Q

The Maya combined their two calendars (tzolkin and haab) into an 18,980-day cycle known as ________ _________.

A

calendar round

23
Q

The tzolkin and haab calendar coincided (happen at the same time) every ____ years.

A

52 years

24
Q

What would the the Mayans do every 52 years when the calendars coincided (happened at the same time)?

A

Rebuild their temples-celebrating the beginning of a new era because they thought the world was coming to an end

25
Q

This is where religious ceremonies, dances, and processions were held.

A

in the cities

26
Q

What is the name of the number system the Mayas developed?

A

vigesimal (its based on 20 units)

27
Q

What three symbols did the Mayas use to write number?

A

Dots (one unit)
Bars (five units)
Oval Shell (zero)

28
Q

What did Mayan priests use their math skills for?

A

Chart movement of the sun, moon, planets and stars (which allowed them to create accurate calendars)

29
Q

Some scholars believe the calendar is based on the cycle of the ________ constellation.

A

Pleiades

30
Q

The tzolkin calendar was used to do what?

A

1) give names to people
2) predict the future
3) decide on the dates of marriages and battles

31
Q

Mayan priests studied the ______.

A

Sund

32
Q

The Mayas realized that approximately every _____ days the sun repeated a pattern.

A

365

33
Q

How many months are in the Mayan calendar?

A

18 months

34
Q

How many days are in the Mayan calendar?

A

20 days

35
Q

There is one Month with only 5 days. What are these 5 days considered?

A

Unlucky!! (The Mayas feared the danger, bad luck, and death would occur on these days)

36
Q

What is an equinox?

A

When the sun is directly over the equator

37
Q

What is an eclipse?

A

When the sun and moon are in a nearly straight line with the Earth

38
Q

What city had two great architectural structures used for observing the equinox?

A

Chichen Itza (located in the center of the Yucatan peninsula)

39
Q

What is the name of the observatory at Chichen Itza used for observing the equinox?

A

El Caracol

40
Q

What is the second structure used for observing the equnox?

A

The Pyramid of Kukulcan

41
Q

What do the 4 sides of the Pyramid of Kukulcan represent?

A

the four seasons (spring, winter, summer, fall)

42
Q

How many steps are on each side of the Pyramid of Kukulcan?

A

91 steps on each side, which add up to 365 steps (the number of days in a year)

43
Q

Which stairway on the Pyramid of Kukulcan was most sacred?

A

The stairway facing the north

44
Q

A serpent appears to crawl down the steps of this pyramid at an equinox.

A

Kukulcan

45
Q

The Mayas thought that this planet was more important than the sun.

A

Venus

46
Q

A calendar-round cycle is this long.

A

52 years

Social Studies (4 decks)

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