"Middle America"

The region extending from modern-day Mexico through Central America

1. Farmed and lived in simple houses
2. Built public buildings for government and religion
3. Created their own system of hieroglyphic writing

1. Built stone cities with beautiful temple pyramids
2. Used math and astronomy to make accurate calendars. Observatories charted movements of moons, stars and planets
3. Consisted of more than forty independant city-states

1. Mayans abandoned all cities in the south
2. Had fewer artistic and cultural achievements
3. The cities that prospered were located north on the Yucatan Peninsula

1. Ruler- Ruled the state and decided when to go to war. Considered a god-king. Halach Uinic
2. Nobles and Priests- Only people who knew how to read and write. Nobles oversaw the gathering of taxes and priests were mathematicians and astronomers who performed rituals and sacrifies
3. Mechants and Artisans- Merchants travelled to different city-states and traded goods like jade and copal (tree sap). Artisans made artwork to pay tribute to the gods like murals of life and sculptures for temples
4. Peasants- Known as the backbone of Mayan society. Worked on the land, growing all of the important crops- maize, beans and squash
5. Slaves- Performed all kinds of manual labor for their owners. People became slaves in many different ways, born into slavery, children sold, punishment for crimes

Slash and burn technique where they cut the vegetation and burn it

Problem: Land is only fertile for two years and then the land must rest for ten years. The fire could also get out of control