FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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MAYA CALENDAR, MATH AND ASTRONOMY
Use our provided information to learn about the Maya.
MAYAN LANGUAGE
Learn about Mayan language and writing.
MAYA ARCHITECTURE
Learn why the Maya built their temples.
MAYA BALLGAME
Learn about the ancient Mesoamerican ballgame.
MAYA MUSIC
Learn about ancient Maya music.
ANCIENT FOODS
Learn some of the foods the ancient Maya and other groups ate.
QUESTION Did the Maya have wars?
ANSWER Yes. The Maya waged war. Murals, paintings on pottery, and carved stone monuments depict warriors, weapons, and battles. From these images we know that victorious warriors took captives who were held as slaves or sometimes sacrificed during religious and political ceremonies.
QUESTION Did the Maya sacrifice humans?
ANSWER Yes. The Maya sacrificed humans during religious rites. People also made personal blood sacrifices as offerings to their gods to maintain the balance of the universe.
QUESTION Were all the Maya rulers men?
ANSWER No. There were female rulers in some Maya courts, although few in number.
QUESTION Did the losers get killed after the ballgame?
ANSWER Not always. The ancient Mesoamerican ballgame was played for more than 1500 years in Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, and El Salvador. Similar to
soccer, the ballgame was played by professionals and members of the elite for ceremonial reasons, and by amateurs and children for sport. There is evidence that players were sometimes sacrificed if a game was played as part of a momentous religious or political event.
QUESTION Did the Maya live inside their pyramids?
ANSWER No, the Maya did not live inside pyramids. The pyramids are solid platforms on top of which the Maya built temples for religious and socio-political rituals as well as palaces and offices.
QUESTION Are Maya pyramids tombs like in Egypt?
ANSWER Yes and no. Most Maya pyramids are simply platforms that support buildings on top. But some pyramids were built with tombs inside for rulers and other important members of society.
QUESTION Where did the Maya come from?
ANSWER The Maya and all native peoples of the Americas are descendants of people who
migrated to the Western Hemisphere from Asia between 30,000 and 11,000 years ago.
QUESTION Did the Maya eat dogs?
ANSWER Yes. The Maya raised dogs the way we raise chickens and pigs for meat. These dogs were not pets. The Maya other animals such as pisotes (coatimundis)
and parrots as pets.