Mr. Wilson AP World History

Never form a unified political system Do create a unified

culture Larger city-states

dominated smaller city-states

Large city-states built elaborate commercial and religious centers Chichen-Itza

Cultivated maize, cotton, and cacao Increased agricultural production by

draining swamps, terraced fields, and irrigation ditches

Led to environmental degradation Hereditary nobility controlled most of

the land Maya merchants came from ruling

class Traded primarily in luxury products

Elite women participated in bloodletting rituals and other ceremonies Women rarely held any

political power Common women played

a role in agriculture and textile production

Coercive labor used to build large palaces and temples

King

Nobles: Priests & Warriors

Merchants

Peasants

Slaves

Polytheistic Cosmos consisted of three layers: the

heavens, the human world, and the underworld Priests could communicate with

residents of both supernatural worlds Mayan developments: calendar,

writing system, and mathematics Used to determine religious holidays

Had to please the gods via sacrifice Piercing of bodies with needle Human Sacrifice

Sacrificed prisoners of war, slaves, and children

Understood movement of heavenly bodies

Invented the concept of zero Calculated the length of a solar year

Off by 17 seconds Created an elaborate calendar

Two calendars: solar and ritual Glyphic writing system

Maya city-states were abandoned or destroyed between 800-900 CE

Causes for decline include: The disruption of trade after the decline of

Teotihuacan in Central Mexico Environmental degradation caused by

overpopulation Epidemic disease