Author: Becky Brown

Year 5 History
Ancient Maya civilisation

Who were the Ancient Maya?
The Maya were a civilisation who lived in Mesoamerica (now Central America) between approximately 2000 BCE and 900CE. They are known for being the first Mesoamericans to develop writing. They also had a sophisticated culture in which they lived in city states. Around 900CE, Maya cities became abandoned. No one knows for sure why this happened.

Key Events

Food
The Maya people mainly ate maize (corn). Maize was very important to them as they believed that the first humans were made from maize dough by the gods.
The Maya made a bitter chocolatey drink from cacao beans that was enjoyed by the rich.

Year 5 History
Ancient Maya civilisation

Key Vocabulary

civilisation	A human society with well developed rules and government, often where technology and the arts are considered important.
codices	Ancient handwritten texts. Maya codices could be unfolded like a concertina. One text is called a codex.
maize	Another word for sweetcorn or corn on the cob. It can be made into a dough and baked into tortillas.
cacao beans	Cacao trees sprout pods directly from their trunks. When they are ripe, the pods can be broken open to reveal the beans, which can then be dried, roasted and ground.
Primary source	An item that provides original information on an event, topic, or era from that period in time. For example a photograph, artefact or diary.
Secondary / source	A second hand account of History. For example a website or text book.
City state	A city and its surrounding area which has its own ruler.

Sticky learning: Can you answer any of these questions?
Why did the ancient Maya people eat a lot of maize and why was it important to them?
Why were priests considered to be so important to them?
Write the numbers from 0-20 using the Maya number system (turn this sheet over for some clues).
Scan the QR code and answer the questions in the quiz.