Begin your study with any question that interests you.
You do not need to go in any certain order. Click on the underlined words in the question
or on the URL address to go to the sites.
This is an educational
site on the collapse of the Mayan
Civilization at Copan. What geographic region did the Maya occupy? How long ago and
what time period? What do you think may have caused the collapse? You will want to return
to this site for more study at another time. http://www.learner.org/exhibits/collapse/mayans.html
Study some of these
ancient Mayan ceramics. The images depict
deities, ballgames and other events of Mayan life. Which vessels do you
think were more important (for special occasions/ceremonies). What
clues did you use to make this decision? http://www.bauerart.com/Mayan.html
6.
Go
on a Mayan Mayan Adventure
with the Science Museum of Minnesota. Check out this science
activity (maybe we can try this in science class). In view of this
experiment, what do you think our pollution and acid rains is doing to
these treasured limestone structures? Be sure to check these
textile designs. have you seen these motifs in other pre-Columbian
art? http://www.sci.mus.mn.us/sln/ma/top.html
7.
You
chose which exhibit to see form this educational site on the Art
and Architecture of the Americas.
Describe one of the ceramic pieces you saw on one of the sites.
what was the meaning of the figure to the people who created it? (site for this question no longer online - find an alternate one)
8.
This Web page has many
pictures of Mayan locations. Click on any one of the smaller images to get a better look. Which location did
you choose to visit? (site for this question no longer online - find an alternate one)
Students watched the Time-Life video:
"Blood of Kings". They were intrigued by the Classic Maya and had many questions
they wanted answers for. Here are some of their questions?
What was the
ballgame
like (short Quick Time video)? How was it played? Were the losers always executed?
See Terry Rutlege's Surrealistic
drawing of the game.
Why do you think he created it this way?
Find out all about the ball game! The Sport of Life and Death: The
Mesoamerican Ballgame The world's first team sport began in
southern Mexico around 1500 B.C. and continued until the Spanish
Conquest. Played with rubber balls in stone courts, Mesoamerican
ballgames combined elements of modern-day basketball, football and
soccer. http://www.ballgame.org
What were some of
ceremonial rituals of the Maya?
Why did they have human sacrifice? (site for this question no
longer on line)
20.
How did the Mayan numbering system
work? (Thanks to Matt who asked "What is one plus one?" as a joke).
21.
How does the
Mayan calendar work? How did they
determine when the world is going to end? Why did they think the world was going to
end? How old will you be on December 23, 2012 (use Mayan math symbols)
NOTE TO TEACHERS:
Preview these sites and let me know if links are broken or misdirected.
Email address on home page. Give me a little lead time before you need
this page with students if work needs to be done.
