Tales of the Maya Skies - Online Activities. Story Synopsis Tales of the Maya Skies tells the story of how the ancient Maya interwove astronomy and culture to create a stable society that spanned 2,000 years, from 500 BCE to 1500 CE. Maya culture, life, architecture, and legends were intertwined with the ancient Maya’s scientific observation and recording of planetary movements. The ancient Maya achieved an unparalleled understanding of astronomy. They developed an advanced system of mathematics that allowed them to create a set of calendars unrivaled in the ancient world. Their logo-syllabic (symbols representing either a syllable or a word) writing system has fascinated linguists for centuries, and has only recently been decoded.
Settting The show is set primarily at Chichén Itzá, one of the last great city states of the Maya classic/post classic period. Major Concepts As a result of ongoing celestial observation and recording, patterns were discerned and used to predict and guide the practical and cosmological life of the Maya. ClassZone.com. Maya Civilization About 2,800 years ago, people known as the Maya lived in farming villages on the Yucatan Peninsula and the highlands to the south. From about A.D. 250 to A.D. 900, they built city-states in Central America that included great pyramid temples and public plazas featuring huge stone columns that recounted their history. Excavations at Tikal, Guatemala, one of the greatest and oldest Maya centers, have revealed thousands of structures and artifacts. The findings include temples, pyramids, ball-playing courts, stone monuments, tools, ceremonial objects, and a great many pottery fragments. The limestone of the Yucatan Peninsula was easily quarried and used for building and tool making.
In the south, volcanoes stretched over the highlands and yielded valuable resources. The fertile volcanic soil allowed the people to grow crops. Incan Civilization The Inca began settling in the Valley of Cuzco in the Andes Mountains of central Peru around the year 1200. Aztec Civilization. Mayan Empire Documentary Part 1. Mayan Empire Documentary Part 2. Mayan Empire Documentary Part 3. Info.teachtci.com/resources/ha/TheMaya.pdf. Maya Writing - Writing in Maya Glyphs: A Non-Technical Introduction to Maya Glyphs.
In the history of the world, there have been few people like the ancient Maya. The Maya were great architects, mathematicians, astronomers, and artists. In their time, they built cities as grand and beautiful as any in Europe or the Far East. They were one of only a few people who invented the zero, a concept extremely important in mathematics. According to some calculations, their measurement of the length of the year was more accurate than that of the Europeans when they arrived in the New World. Their artists created a style that is considered one of the great art forms of history, and is today studied by artists throughout the world. What's more, they were one of only three civilizations that invented a complete system of writing.
In this booklet, you will learn about ancient Maya writing and about the ancient Maya civilization. Download the Writing in Maya Glyphs Booklet The PDF files require Adobe Acrobat Reader. For those with a fast connection, download the complete PDF file: Www.lacma.org/sites/default/files/MayaCurriculum2010.pdf.