Mayan Brochure Abonus Final

2
ARCHITECTURE May 20-August 20 10 AM-5:45 PM (212) 769-5110 www.amnh.org { Mayan families built a rectangular HOUSE with no windows and one door. The floor was made of soil. The walls were made with wood, mud, and stone. Mayans didn’t have nails, so houses were built with vines. Most Mayan PYRAMIDS were built around olders buildings (usually a temple to worship Mayan gods). Try climbing these tall pyramids! Mayans had fast and intense ball games in COURTS like this one. Imagine being in the audience on the platforms on either side, watching as Mayan warriors try to shoot a ball through a tiny hoop! Mayans studied stars, the Sun, and Venus in tall TOWERS. They also created their own calendar based on the stars. PALACES for royal Mayan families looked like this. They had many rooms for different officials. They were decorated with bright white lime stones, making them stand out in the sun! WELCOME TO YOUR MAYAN ADVENTURE! Here are buildings to look out for:

description

not sure why some of the images are not showing when uploaded (but are there in the actual PDF file). missing: photos of buildings + front photo "Mayan civilization 4 Kids"

Transcript of Mayan Brochure Abonus Final

Page 1: Mayan Brochure Abonus Final

ARCHITECTUREMay 20-August 20

10 AM-5:45 PM(212) 769-5110www.amnh.org

{Mayan families built a rectangular HOUSE with no windows and one door. The floor was made of soil. The walls were made with wood, mud, and stone. Mayans didn’t have nails, so houses were built with vines.

Most Mayan PYRAMIDS were built around olders buildings (usually a temple to worship Mayan gods). Try climbing these tall pyramids!

Mayans had fast and intense ball games in COURTS like this one. Imagine being in the audience on the platforms on either side, watching as Mayan warriors try to shoot a ball through a tiny hoop!

Mayans studied stars, the Sun, and Venus in tall TOWERS. They also created their own calendar based on the stars.

PALACES for royal Mayan families looked like this. They had many rooms for different officials. They were decorated with bright white lime stones, making them stand out in the sun!

WELCOME TO YOUR MAYAN ADVENTURE! Here are buildings to look out for:

Page 2: Mayan Brochure Abonus Final

This is a Mayan VAULT

which was made for passageways and tombs! The top of the vault is called a CAPSTONE. Doesn’t

the shadow look like a pyramid?

Famous places you might see (all found in today’s Mexico and Guatemala):

- Chichen Itza - pictured here - northern Mayan city that is famous for its water-filled sinkholes- Tikal - the largest Mayan city - has many temples, ball courts, pyramids and more- Palenque - known for its beautiful art and sculptures

Long ago the Mayans built complex cities and huge structures without drills, hammers, and other tools we have today. Most of their buildings were made for their religion.

This drawing shows just how grand and amazing Mayan cities once were!

- the Mayan civilization was formed as early as 1500 BC

- around 900 AD, most Mayan cities were mysteriously abandoned (people left!)

- cities were linked together by long, white roads called sacbes

- trade, the military, and the government were all controlled in major Mayan cities by nobles

and religious men

Draw your own pyramid, palace, hut, temple, tower, or arch

in the space below!