Grade 7 Standard Guide 23
Chapter Twenty Three Standard Guide: The Maya
Key Terms
- Tikal
- Mesoamerica
- Olmec
- hieroglyphic
- observatory
- slash-and-burn agriculture
Essential Questions
- Name the present day countries in the area where the Mayan culture flourished. Describe the landscape of this region.
- Who were the Olmec? What were their accomplishments?
- What were the three periods of Mayan civilization? What were the main characteristics of each period?
- Explain the five levels of the Mayan social pyramid. What was daily life like for most Maya?
- How have historians learned about the Mayan religion? What have they learned?
- What two main calenders were developed and used by the Maya? Why were these calenders important achievements in mathematics and astronomy?
- What agricultural techniques did the Maya use to overcome farming challenges?
- What happened to the Mayan civilization?
Standards Adressed
7.7 Students compare and contrast the geographic, political, economic, religious, and social structures of the Meso-American and Andean civilizations.
7.7.1 Study the locations, landforms, and climates 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 structures, family life, war-fare, 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 civilizations.
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 systems.
