Olmec and Maya

CAN’T
DENY
THE
MAYA
STYLE

GET A KICK
OUT OF AN
ANCIENT
BALL
GAME

HEADS UP!
OLMEC
STATUES IN PARTNERSHIP WITH
ROCK

Olmec_and_Maya_FC.indd 1 3/8/17 11:50 AM

 2

Early Cultures in the Americas

Thousands of years The Americas
ago, not a single human
being lived in all of the 150˚ W

Americas. The first peo- A R C T I C

ple are thought to have
GREENLAND
O C E A N
arrived about 15,000
years ago. They may
have come from Asia via Arctic

a land bridge over the

Circle

Bering Strait. That land 60˚ N

bridge no longer exists.
It appeared during the

R
O
Ice Age, when much of
C K
the land was frozen. This
Y
.

made the level of the

S

GR
M T
T
M

EA
A T L A N T I C

N
oceans so low that land

IA
T P
S .

H
C
O C E A N

LA
LAI
now covered with water

PA
N

AP
30˚ N 30˚ N
S
was exposed. Tropic of Cancer
These early hunter-
MEXICO

gatherers slowly roamed CENTRAL

south, and as the gen- AMERICA
erations passed, some 0˚ Equator 0˚
groups settled in parts
of Mexico, Central P A C I F I C A
N
America, and South O C E A N
DE S

America. Their descen- Tropic of Capricorn ATACAMA

dants included the people DESERT

M T S .

known as the Olmec

30˚ S 30˚ S

and, later still, the Maya.

N
150˚ W 120˚ W 90˚ W
The Maya created one of W E

the most splendid civi- North America 60˚ W

lizations of all time. But
S
Scale at equator
South America 0 1,000 mi.

around 800 CE, some- Temperate Zone

thing terrible must have
occurred. During the
next century, many Maya
cities became deserted,
and in time, the jungle
once again claimed the
Maya lands.
0 1,000 km.
60˚ S
Tropical Zone
Antarctic Circle
Present-day Border
ANTARCTICA
u BECAUSE THE 1,600 miles north is often rainy.
Americas stretch and south of the North and south of
over such a huge
area, they contain
equator is the
tropical zone. The
this zone are two
temperate zones.
many different temperature is There, the climate
climates and land- usually hot there, changes with the
forms. Within and the weather seasons.

Olmec_and_Maya_2-3.indd 16 3/8/17 11:51 AM

 3
l AN IMPORTANT
early group in South
America was the
Chavín people, who
appeared in the
Andes around 900
BCE. The Chavín
are famous for
their religious
sculptures. Their
artifacts include
objects depicting
jaguars, which were
common in the
l THE MAYA ERECTED area. Throughout
magnificent palac- the Americas,
es, developed an the animals that
elaborate system prehistoric peo-
of writing and an ples encountered
accurate calendar, became important
and were able to in their religious
predict eclipses. beliefs.

u ALONG THE WEST- include the Rocky both continents,

ern areas of North Mountains (above), are areas well suit-
and South America the Sierra Madre, ed for agriculture u CENTRAL AMERICA there could be and Mexico that
are several and the Cascades. – grassy plains and contains many difficult because was settled in
mountain ranges, South America’s river valleys. active volcanoes, of this terrain. We ancient times
called cordilleras. include the Andes. rain forests, and call the region of Mesoamerica.
Those in the north East of these, on swamps. Farming Central America

l A MAJOR GROUP and farmed corn,

in prehistoric North beans, and other
America was the crops. They were
Mississippians. known for building
These people large earthworks,
settled mainly in or mounds. The
what is now the biggest (left) is
southeastern and 1,000 feet long,
midwestern United 700 feet wide,
States, starting and 100 feet high!
in the 700s CE. Religious temples
They lived in large were built on top of
towns or villages these mounds.

Olmec_and_Maya_2-3.indd 17 3/8/17 11:51 AM

 4

The Olmec
In the fertile lowlands of southern Mexico,
the first sophisticated urban civilization in
the Americas came into being. It lasted from
about 1200 BCE to 400 BCE. The people who
built it were called the Olmec. In their reli-
gious beliefs, artworks, architecture,
scientific pursuits, and writing systems, they
set the tone for all the major Mesoamerican
cultures that followed, including the Maya
and the Aztec. The Olmec have been called
the “mother civilization” of the Americas.

u THE OLMEC USED

rivers for trans-
porting goods and l THE WORD OLMEC other goods. But
natural resources. means “rubber rubber and the
Scholars believe people.” The Olmec rubber trade were
they built rafts created rubber not the Olmec’s
so they could from the sap of only inventions.
float huge stones the rubber trees They were also the
and other things growing on their first people in the
from one place to lands. They used Americas to have
another. The stones the rubber to make a writing system.
were used for their balls for games They used pic-
sculptures. and religious cere- ture-like symbols,
monies. They also carving them on
traded rubber with stone, sculptures,
their neighbors for and pottery.

Olmec_and_Maya_4-5.indd 16 3/8/17 11:54 AM

 5
l THE OLMEC WERE They grew corn,
Olmec Lands
in an excellent beans, squash,
geographic location avocados, and
for farming, and peppers. They also
their success at fished, in rivers
MEXICO it provided them and the sea. They
with many advan- built their houses
tages. Water was with reeds from
Tlapacoya Gulf of Mexico
El Viejón plentiful, and they the local rivers and
Tlatilco
depended on the grasses from the
Chalcatzinco Tre Zapotes flooding of rivers plains. The Olmec
Las Bocas La Venta to nourish the soil farmlands were
Laguna de Balancán and irrigate their very productive,
Oxtotitán los Cerros San Lorenzo crops. They even growing more
Juxtlahuaca
M E
S O
developed a cal- BELIZE
than enough food
A M E endar system and for everyone. This
R
I
Xoc numbering to help meant the Olmec GUATE
Padre Piedra C them keep track of
the flood season.
could spend time
HONDURAS
on other activities,
P A C I F I C Pijijiapan

A
such as engaging
O C E A N Izapa in trade and creat-
ing artworks.
La Blanca

Olmec Homeland
NICARAGUA
N

Olmec Ceremonial Center 0 100 mi.

W E

Other Olmec City 0 100 km.

S

u THE OLMEC MADE
truly amazing
sculptures. Many
of them were
religious in nature.
They carved giant
EL SALVADOR
l OLMEC RULERS
ordered the
COSTA RICA
building of large
temples and pla-
zas. At these sites
were found many
sculptures show-
ing what seem to
be half-human,
half-jaguar figures
that research-
ers have called
were-jaguars.
Some are depicted
as infants, being
held in the lap of
another figure.
These creatures
have downturned
mouths and
half-closed,
0
almond-shaped
eyes. In the Olmec
religion, the jaguar
was associated
heads out of huge they are wearing with the all-import-
boulders of basalt helmets and may 0
ant rains, which 500 KM
rock. These heads be players in a ball caused the flooding
may be portraits game that had reli- that guaranteed a
of their rulers. But gious meaning. good harvest.
some people think
Parallel scale at 20˚N

Olmec_and_Maya_4-5.indd 17 3/8/17 11:54 AM

 6

Pre-
Classic
Period
2000 BCE to
ARCHAEOLOGISTS 250 CE
(experts who Many Maya lived
study the remains in settled com-
of past cultures) munities.
often divide time
into periods to
make it easier to
discuss history.
Maya history is
divided into three
periods.

Archaic
Period
8000 BCE to
2000 BCE
Most Maya lived
as hunters and
gatherers. Some
Maya began to
settle in one
place and farm.

l STATUES AND r THE MAYA LIVED

carvings in many in an area of about
Classic Maya 120,000 square
cities show what miles. This map
the people looked shows the sites of
like – or the looks their ancient cities.
they admired: The heart of Maya
straight black hair, civilization was the
high cheekbones, tropical rain forests
almond-shaped in the lowlands of
eyes, curved nos- what is now north-
es, and elongated ern Guatemala.
skulls.

Present-day border
Ancient Maya city

The Rise of the Maya

The saying “Rome was not built in a
day” means that it takes a long time
to create something significant and
lasting. This saying also applies to
the Maya.
The earliest Maya hunted animals,
fished, and gathered wild berries,
nuts, and seeds for food. By around
8000 BCE, these roving bands of
Maya began making homes for them-
selves – in caves, rock shelters, and
open camps. Slowly, over the next
several thousand years, they began
living a more settled village life. They

Olmec_and_Maya_6-7.indd 16 3/8/17 11:57 AM

 7

Classic
Period
250 ce to
900 ce
The Maya
reached great
heights in intel-
lectual, artistic,
and cultural mat-
ters. They built
more than 100
cities and towns.
One of the larg-
est, Tikal, had as
many as 100,000
residents.

r Twelve-year- r Stelae (stone

old Pacal came slabs) were erect-
to the throne in ed to honor the
the Maya town of important events
Palenque in 615 in leaders’ lives.
ce. He reigned for The tallest stela
68 years. During in the Maya area
this time, the city – almost 25 feet
became large and high – is Stela
powerful. When F at Quiriguá,
Lord Pacal died, he Guatemala (right).
had a royal burial On it is a portrait
in the Temple of of Cauac Sky, an
the Inscriptions. important ruler
The sarcophagus whose reign began
(coffin) lid shows in 724 ce.
Lord Pacal resting
on a throne.

wore animal-skin clothing and used Their economy flourished, and they
flint-tipped spears. erected huge palaces, plazas, court-
As time went on, cities appeared, yards, and ball courts. Towering
some populated by more than temple-pyramids dotted the area.
50,000 people. The Maya reached
great heights in the arts, scientific
learning, architecture, and writing.

Olmec_and_Maya_6-7.indd 17 3/8/17 11:57 AM

 8

The Maya Way of Life

The Maya lived in the lowlands, where the
temperature didn’t change much during the
year. In the Pre-Classic period, they settled
in densely inhabited villages of sloping,
thatched-roof houses. Most peasants were
farmers. Outside the villages, they cultivated
maize (corn), beans, squash, avocados, and
manioc (a starchy root also known as cassa-
va), along with other crops. The Maya also
had plenty of nuts, seeds, and wild fruits for
the taking. Wild animals, such as deer, pec-
caries, tapirs, and monkeys, were hunted for
food.

USING STONE TOOLS, FARMERS

cut down dry brush and
burned it before the sum-
mer rains. This cleared
the fields and helped
fertilize the ground. When
it came time to plant,
farmers poked shallow
holes into the ground
using sticks, and then
dropped in the seeds.
They also created raised
fields in swamps by
digging canals and piling
the soil between them.
This made fertile plots for
planting and helped pro-
tect against flooding. The
Maya used crop rotation
to get more than one har-
vest each year.

Olmec_and_Maya_8-9.indd 16 3/8/17 12:31 PM

 9
l THE MAYA HAD r A FAVORITE MAYA
four social classes. activity was a ball
The rulers were the game sometimes
upper class. They called pok-ol-pok.
controlled cities and It was both a com-
their surrounding petitive sport and a
areas. (There was sacred ceremony.
no central govern- Players tried to
ment.) Craftspeople, knock a solid rub-
merchants, and ber ball through
stonemasons were a high stone ring.
the middle class. The ball had to be
Commoners came bounced off their
next; they were hips, shoulders, or
mostly farmers. forearms, never
Enslaved people, touching their
criminals, and pris- hands. The losing
oners of the many captain (or even
Maya wars made the whole team)
up the lowest class. often risked being
Important people sacrificed to the
were buried in spe- gods.
cial positions (top
left), with posses-
sions such as this
jade mask (bottom
left).

Olmec_and_Maya_8-9.indd 17 3/8/17 12:32 PM

 10

Sacred
Maya
Waters
S wimmers can take a
dip beneath stalactites in
the pure waters of a cenote,
or natural well, in Dzitnup,
Mexico. Cenotes were
an essential water source
for the ancient Maya on
the river-starved northern
Yucatán peninsula. Other
sacred cenotes were used
in religious ceremonies.

Olmec_and_Maya_10-11.indd 16 3/8/17 12:33 PM

 11

Olmec_and_Maya_10-11.indd 17 3/8/17 12:33 PM

 12
His

The Inventive Maya May 9,

755

He
Captive

Bird
Jaguar
Captured
At the
Place of
Jeweled Yaxchilan
Skull

Second
Captive Ancient Astronomy
r THE MAYA’S the sun, as seen
knowledge of from Earth, to be
astronomy was 584 days. After
very advanced. many centuries
They plotted the of study, we now
movements of the know that it is
sun, the moon, and actually 583.92!
Second Captive Jeweled Skull Venus, and calcu- This observatory
lated the revolution is at the city of
u THE MAYA LEFT of Venus around Chichén Itzá.
permanent records
about their lives
r IN THE 18TH in hieroglyphs,
century, a Maya or glyphs – pic-
folded manuscript tures or symbols
was purchased used to represent
for the Royal words, syllables,
Library of Dresden, or sounds. Glyphs
Germany. It came in books, on pots,
to be known as the carved in stone,
Dresden Codex. and painted in
It’s the earliest and murals (wall paint-
best preserved of ings) show many
the four remain- aspects of Maya
ing Maya folding life, although most
books. This beau- focus on important
tiful codex deals events in rulers’
with the cycles of lives. The drawing
the planet Venus above is a record
and includes tables with the date 755
for predicting lunar CE on it, showing
eclipses. It shows Bird Jaguar and a
the 260-day Maya companion cap-
calendar and the turing Jeweled
gods associated Skull and another
with the days. enemy. Of all the u THE MAYA PAINTED a building taller.
peoples in the and adorned their Colorful murals
Americas before buildings with decorated many
Columbus, only the carved friezes, interior walls. This
Maya developed a facades, and roof structure is in Tikal,
complex system of combs, or exten- the largest of all
writing in their own sions that make Classic Maya sites.
language.

l THE MOST REMARKABLE ASPECT OF

Maya carvings is that they were
done with stone tools – no metal
was used in Classic times.

Olmec_and_Maya_12-13.indd 16 3/8/17 12:34 PM

 13

Dad, I’ll never It’s not that tough, son. Just listen closely. We Maya were
understand how among the first to invent a way to count into really big
to count! numbers. We can count as high as we want because we
know how important nothing is.

Nothing!?! Zero, son. Only three peoples in all of

history discovered it. Zero allows us to
count until the iguanas come home.

een How, Dad?

o be The first thing you need to
er understand is that we use
es just three symbols for our
0 1 5
numbers — a shell for zero,
now a dot for one, and a bar for
s five.
92!
ory We can count all the
of way to 19 with those
same symbols. 0 1 2 3 4

5 6 7 8 9
That makes
d THE LONG COUNT sense.
is the Maya system 10 11 12 13 14
of recording time.
It is considered 15 16 17 18 19
the most accurate
calendar of the Now, we Maya count in steps, as if
ancient world. walking down a stairway. On the
Long Count cal- lowest step are the number 1 through
19. To show numbers from 20 to 399,
culations appear we go to the next step. A number on
= 120
on most stelae that step is 20 times what you think = 14
from the Classic it is.
u MAYA BOOKS, period, helping 134
called codices, archaeologists
We add the two steps to get the number, and
were long strips of know when they we read the number from top to bottom, right?
paper made from were erected. The
the bark of the wild Maya astronomers’
fig tree. The strips calculation of the You’re a chip off the old block! Now, we
stay on this step until we get as high as
of bark were fold- true length of the = 800
the number 399. Then we have to step up
ed back to back, year – 365.2420 again. The same process works for this
forming pages, days – is a sign of = 120 step, except that you must figure 20 times
which may have their genius. The u THE CITY OF 20 times the number, or 400 times the
= 14 number you see.
been enclosed in figure used today, Bonampak was
covers of jaguar 1,000 years later, discovered in 1946 934
skin or wood. is 365.2422 days! in Chiapas, Mexico. I get it! Just keep stepping!
Colorful murals
Step on! This step is good until you
found in a building get to 7,999.
there depict scenes
from the late 8th Sometimes, son, it’s important
So why is the zero
century CE. One so important, Dad? that there be nothing on a step.
room celebrates an How could we write the number
403 without a zero?
heir to the throne.
Inscriptions explain
the event and = 400
identify the people.
Dancers in feath- = 0
ered robes move to
musicians’ music. = 3

403

Olmec_and_Maya_12-13.indd 17 3/15/17 11:51 AM

 14
r Long before the
Spanish arrived,
Maya civiliza-
tion had begun
to weaken. Civil
unrest and warfare
were common.
Few people worked
in the creative
arts. In time, the
Mexican influence
u The Spanish became stronger.
explorer Hernán Chichén Itzá is the
Cortés brought place that best
about the destruc- shows this. El
tion of the Aztec Castillo, the Temple
realm in southern of the Jaguars and
Mexico in 1521. He its Ball Court, and
and then others, the Temple of the
later, went on to Warriors (right)
conquer the nearby have features that
Maya. The Maya are totally differ-
fought bravely for ent from Maya
many years, but architecture: inte-
the last Maya city rior courts, square
finally fell in 1697. platforms, and
The Spanish many columns that
conquistadors supported roofs
(conquerors), and divided rooms.
marching beneath It may be that the
the banner of “God, Toltec peoples of
Glory, and Gold,” Mexico conquered
nearly wiped out the city.
Maya culture and
other cultures. The
conquered peoples u The Spanish the Maya, who had cent of the Maya
were forced to take enslaved many of no natural defens- died in the century
instruction in the the native peoples. es against them. immediately fol-
Catholic faith. If They introduced Entire towns were lowing the Spanish
anyone rebelled, such European dis- wiped out. Some conquest.
the punishment eases as smallpox, historians estimate
was terrible. measles, and flu to that up to 90 per-

The Spanish Conquest and the Decline of the Maya

Maya civilization flourished for many
centuries. But then, from about
800 ce to 900 ce, nearly all Maya
cities in the southern lowlands were
abandoned. Many theories have
been proposed to explain why this
happened. These include conquering
armies of Mexicans, climate changes,
earthquakes, widespread diseases,
economic failure, overpopulation,
starvation, and uprisings among the
masses. It could have been a com-
bination of all these factors. A good
guess is that many pressures from
outside and inside the society led to
the Maya’s collapse.
Although the southern lowlands
were nearly deserted, Maya splendor
continued on the Yucatán peninsula.
When Spanish explorers set foot
there in the early 16th century, they
found cities crowded with people.

Olmec_and_Maya_14-15.indd 16 3/8/17 12:36 PM

 15
l DIEGO DE LANDA their traditional
was a priest from beliefs. Angered, he
Spain. In the 16th had all their writ-
century, he arrived ings burned. This
in the Yucatán, robbed future gen-
where the Maya erations of valuable
lived after they information about
had abandoned the Maya. In one
the lowland cities. terrible instant, de
De Landa tried to Landa wiped out
change the ways of the literature of an
the Maya, but they entire culture!
refused to give up

d THE TOLTEC
Temple of the
Warriors at Chichén Scribes Were
Big Deals
Itzá is copied from
a Mexican pyramid.
It clearly shows
Toltec influence
and supremacy in SCRIBES WERE WRITERS WHO RECORDED
the Yucatán. details about Maya life on books folded
like an accordion. The pages of bark
were strengthened by a natural gum
substance and coated with white
plaster. On these pages, scribes drew
figures and made hieroglyphic symbols.
They colored the images with mineral
and vegetable paints. They also made
carvings in limestone, shells, and jade.
Scribes were highly valued.

RABBIT GOD WRITING A CODEX

They saw heavily decorated palaces,
temples raised on terraced pyra-
mids, paved stone roads, and busy
marketplaces. They met leaders who
wore jade and gold jewelry, intricate
headdresses, jaguar-skin skirts, and
brightly colored feathered capes.
They also found warriors with bows,
arrows, and clubs.
For years, the Spanish searched
for the legendary El Dorado, a place
where great riches were supposed
to be found. The cities of the Maya
could have been the place. But
the desire of the Spanish to force
others to believe in their religion
finally led to the destruction of what
had been the most brilliant civili-
zation in pre-Columbian America.
(Pre-Columbian means “before
Columbus.”)

Olmec_and_Maya_14-15.indd 17 3/8/17 12:36 PM

 16

The Maya Today

Most of the more than 6 million
modern Maya live in rural areas of
Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize –
areas where their ancestors lived.
Their culture is a mixture of pre-
Columbian native, European, and
modern elements, not purely one
or another.
Today, the Maya are not very well
off economically. During a civil war
in Guatemala from 1960 to 1996,
thousands of highland people were
killed. Tens of thousands were forced
to flee into Mexico. The Maya of
Mexico, like many Mexicans, suffer
from overpopulation, unemploy-
ment, and periods of political unrest.
In many places, the Maya have been
forced to abandon their native lan-
guage and dress, and only in rural
areas can they continue their tradi-
tions. In Guatemala, Maya farmers
have been crowded onto mountain-
ous areas with poor land. Laborers
must work for extremely low wages. r Maya life today
Will the Maya survive the latest reflects the long
threats? That remains to be seen. history of outside
influences. Nearly
every Maya town
has a Catholic
church, a public
school, and munic-
ipal buildings.
Some towns have
a movie theater
and a gas station.
Many Maya houses
u In some places, have radios and
traditional dress is electric lights.
common. But Maya Trucks, cars, and
also wear colorful buses travel the
clothing from other roads. Yet despite
cultures. the advances of
u In remote and stone or earthen modern culture, the
isolated villages, walls that were u The Maya’s Maya have clung
houses are the used in earlier ancient ballgame to some original
same thatched- times. is still taught to traditions.
roof dwellings with youngsters in
lime-plastered Central America.

Olmec_and_Maya_16-17.indd 16 3/8/17 1:07 PM

 17
l Many Maya
today resist
attempts to make
them part of the
mainstream of
Mexican and
Guatemalan life.
They don’t want to
be an oppressed
minority. They
cherish their own
culture and values.

l Pottery is still u As in pre-

made by ancient Columbian
methods. Traditional times, houses
looms that can be are grouped in
strapped around compounds, and
the weaver’s back nearby structures
are used to make serve as cooking
splendid, brightly or storage units.
patterned textiles
(fabrics). u Many festivals
and religious cel-
l Colorful tex- ebrations feature
tiles and ancient pre-Columbian
techniques of tex- activities. These
tile making survive include burning
in Guatemala and fragrant copal
in Chiapas, Mexico. incense (made
In Guatemala, the from tree resin), u Rigoberta Menchú,
ancient calendar is fasting, and mak- a Maya activist who
still used to mark ing offerings to the works for native peo-
the annual cere- traditional gods. ples’ rights, won the
monial cycle. Nobel Peace Prize in
1992.

Olmec_and_Maya_16-17.indd 17 3/8/17 1:07 PM

 18

Activities
CREATE
GLYPHS
Glyphs are pictures or sym-
bols that represent words,
syllables, or sounds. Study the
glyphs shown in this maga-
zine. Then, work with a part-
ner to create some glyphs that
stand for ideas and sounds in
the English language. You’ll
use the glyphs to write mes-
sages to each other. So think
about what you might want
to talk about and be sure to
create the glyphs you’ll need.
Then have some fun. Use the
glyphs to communicate with
your partner.

MAKE A TIMELINE
Maya history is divided into three periods. Use
the magazine to learn about them. What were
those periods? What were the most important
events during each one? Make a timeline of the
different periods in the history of the Maya.
Locate one or two key events during each time
period on your timeline. Write a short caption
for each one to summarize what happened. When
your timeline is complete, share it with others.
Compare events on the different timelines.

Olmec_and_Maya_18-19.indd 18 3/8/17 1:08 PM


MAKE CONNECTIONS WITH THESE RELATED TITLES
Archaeology
Understanding the daily lives of ancient
people is the driving force behind
archaeology. The pottery, art, tools,
and ruins early civilizations left behind
provide a window into their habits and
cultures. Learn all about the essential
tasks of archaeologists, from mapping
a site to sifting dirt to using brushes to
unearth delicate artifacts.
LEARN MORE ONLINE!
• Beautiful Chichén Itzá was likely
the most important Maya city from
the 6th to the 10th centuries CE.
But when the Spanish arrived in
the 16th century, it was already
abandoned. A 79-foot-tall pyramid
called El Castillo (Spanish for “the
castle”) towers over Chichén Itzá.
Olmec_and_Maya_18-19.indd 19
Christianity and
Rome’s Legacies
As an empire, Rome’s expansive
reach stretched far and wide across
the ancient world. Today, we see its
impact and influence across the globe.
Paramount to Rome’s empire lies the
religion of Christianity, a centerpiece in
the empire’s growth and legacy.
• Maya glyphs are not easy to deci-
pher. It has taken more than 100
years to begin to decode them. In
1958 and 1960, Heinrich Berlin and
Tatiana Proskouriakoff found that
some glyphs recorded the histories
of ruling families.
19
Language
Language is more than just the words
and sounds we use to communicate.
The study of language helps us under-
stand our past. From ancient hiero-
glyphs and the first papyrus scrolls to
sign language and computer program-
ming, language has long been at the
center of human society.
CALIFORNIA
STANDARDS
HSS 7.7 Students compare and contrast
the geographic, political, economic, reli-
gious, and social structures of the Meso-
American and Andean civilizations.
7.7.1 Study the locations, landforms, and cli-
mates of Mexico, Central America, and South
America and their effects on Mayan, Aztec,
and Incan economies, trade, and development
of urban societies. 7.7.2 Study the roles of
people in each society, including class struc-
tures, family life, warfare, religious beliefs
and practices, and slavery. 7.7.3 Explain how
and where each empire arose and how the
Aztec and Incan empires were defeated by the
Spanish. 7.7.4 Describe the artistic and oral
traditions and architecture in the three civili-
zations. 7.7.5 Describe the Meso-American
achievements in astronomy and mathematics,
including the development of the calendar and
the Meso-American knowledge of seasonal
changes to the civilizations’ agricultural sys-
tems.
Historical and Social Sciences Analysis
Skills:
Research, Evidence, and Point of View
3. Students distinguish relevant from irrelevant
information, essential from incidental informa-
tion, and verifiable from unverifiable informa-
tion in historical narratives and stories.
3/8/17 1:12 PM
 hmhco.com

Editor: Jennifer Dixon Fact-Checker: Nayda Rondon,

Art Direction: Brobel Design Amy McIlwaine
Designers: Ian Brown, Ed Gabel,
David Ricculli, Jeremy Rech Author: Stella Sands, Camille Cauti
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Warriors); De Agostini/Archivio, J. Lange: p.6 middle left (plaster head); De Agostini:

GRADE 6 TITLES p.9 top left (burial pit); Dmitri Kessel: p.17 top center (making tortillas at a Maya home);
Francois LE DIASCORN: p.16 center middle (men with cowboy hats); Hans Georg Roth:
World’s Early People Ancient India
pp.14–15 top center (figure); Independent Picture Service: p.17 middle left (Guatemalan
Mesopotamia Indian Empires women in traditional dress); John Scofield: p.16 top right (Maya mask maker); Marlon
Ancient Egypt Ancient China Gomez: p.16 bottom right (Maya ballgame); Master of Saldana: p.14 top left (Hernán
Cortés); PHAS: p.14 top center (conquest of Mexico); Prisma: p.3 top right (Chavín art);
Archaeology Early Romans Tony Barson: p.17 middle right (Rigoberta Menchú); Werner Forman: p.9 middle left
Language Roman Empire (jade mask). Granger Collection, NYC: p.15 top center (Diego de Landa Calderon).
Shutterstock: Anton_Ivanov: p.19 bottom (El Castillo); Galyna Andrushko: p.3
Ancient Hebrews Christianity and Rome’s Legacies middle left (Rocky Mountains, Colorado); LuFeeTheBear: p.19 top left (archaeologist);
Early Greeks Olmec and Maya MarcelOdlt: p.17 top left (loom); Natalia Godzenko: p.18 top (Maya glyphs); Nensu79:
p.18 bottom (timeline); Prill: p.16 bottom left (Maya hut); Simon Dannhauer: p.12
Greece’s Golden Age Civil Rights middle right (Tikal); Skyfish: p.17 top right (burning incense); Stefano Ember: p.17
Ancient Persia bottom (church); TTstudio: p.19 top center (Vatican); Ventdusud: pp.12–13 top center
(Chichén Itzá); Vladimir Zhoga: p.19 top right (Japanese hieroglyphs); Wollertz: p.3
middle right (tropical rain forest, Costa Rica). The University Museum, UPENN: p.13
bottom left (Long Count).
On the Cover: Traditional dressing ceremony of high priest from reconstruction of the
Bonampak frescoes. Getty Images: DEA/G. Dagli Orti. Original Illustrations:
Acme Design Company: Map of the Yucatán Peninsula, p.6.
Picture Credits: Alamy: Chronicle: p.7 bottom left (Pacal); Danita Delimont: p.13 center
middle (Bonampak); Mason Vranish: pp.10–11 (Cenote Dzitnup, Mexico); National Brobel Design: Map of the Americas, p.2; Map of Olmec Lands, p.5; Maya Hieroglyphs,
Geographic Creative: p.3 bottom left (Monks Mound), p.4 center middle (Olmecs on the p.12; Rabbit God, p.15.
river); Peter Horree: p.13 middle left (Maya codices); Sabena Jane Blackbird: p.12 bottom
center (Maya stone tool); SOTK2011: p.7 bottom right (stela at Quiriguá); World History Michael Kline Illustration: Rubber People, p.4; Maya Math Mastery, p.13.
Archive: p.9 top right (Maya ceramic figure). Art Resource, NY: Michel Zabé: p.5 bottom
right (were-jaguar); p.12 center middle (Dresden Codex). Getty Images: Arturogi: Wood Ronsaville Harlin, Inc.: Will Williams: Sitting Maya, p.3, The Maya Way of Life,
p.5 bottom left (Olmec head); Carl & Ann Purcell: pp.14–15 center middle (Temple of pp.8–9; Rob Wood: Three Maya Periods, pp.6–7.

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