William Carlsen

Jungle of Stone: The Extraordinary Journey of John L.

Stephens and Frederick Catherwood, and the Discovery
of the Lost Civilization of the Maya

Aditi Parmar-17779
Valeria Mitko-17771
Malika Pandya-17990
Falguni Vandra-17959
Rohan Gohel-17869
The Maya Civilization
 Who were the Maya?

• The Maya were an ancient civilization

• Their people were one of the most advanced
civilizations in the Western Hemisphere before
the arrival of the Europeans.
• This civilization flourished from the year 250 to
the year 909.
• Archaelogists are still puzzled today why the
Maya people abandon their cities.
Where did the Maya people live?
The Maya lived in:
• eastern & southern
Mexico
• Guatemala
• Belize
• El Salvador
• and western
Hondorus
 What did these people look like?
• They were short but very sturdy.
• The average woman was about 4ft. 8 in.
• The average man was about 5ft. 1 in.
• They had black hair.
• They had dark skin and brown eyes.
Farming Became an Important Way
of Life
• Farming changed the Indians’ way of life.
• They began building permanent homes
and had more belongings.
• They lived closer together to work and
protect their fields.
• They made laws.
• They worshipped gods of nature, such as
rain, earth, wind, and sun.
What farming method did the Maya
use?
• They used the slash and burn technique.
They cut down the forest with stone axes.
Then they set fire to the fallen trees and
brush during the months of March and
April.
What did they do once the land was
cleared?
• They planted in May. A farmer would use
a pointed stick to make a hole. Then five
or six grains of corn were dropped in the
hole. Then the hole was covered with soil.
• The crop was harvested by the men.
 What was their main crop?
• There main crop was maize, a form of
corn.
• But they also planted squash, beans,
pumpkins, and chili-peppers.
 What farming technique did they
use for hilly areas?
• When they were planting in an area that
was hilly, they used terraced farming.
• They dug into hills and created flat steps
where they could plant rows of plants.
 Were they gatherers?
• They gathered crops that grew wild such
as papayas, bananas, nuts, and plantains
 Why was the Maya civilization
considered so advanced?
• One reason they were considered so advanced was the
Mayan calendar. The Mayan calendar consisted of two
calendars. One was a religious calendar, and one was a
solar calendar. Each calendar operated independently.
• They determined that a year was a little more than 365
days. However, unlike our calendar, their calendar had
18 months of 20 days and one month of 5 days.
 The Maya were known for their
number system.
• The Maya used a system of dots and bars
to write numbers. They even had a symbol
for zero.
 The Maya also had a written
language.

• The Maya used picture symbols for words.

This is called hieroglyphics.
• They carved these symbols on stone or
painted them on bark.
• There were about 800 symbols.
These are some of their glyphs.
 They were also known for their
buildings.
• They built huge limestone temples,
pyramids, and palaces that still stand.
today without the use of heavy equipment.
They pushed the heavy stones over great
distances using logs as rollers.
 Did the Maya people live in these
elaborate buildings?
• The elaborate buildings were found in their cities.
• The buildings were used as centers for religious
ceremonies, courts, and important festivals.
• At the bottom of the buildings were rooms used by
priests.
• But the people lived outside the city centers.
• The rich lived closer to the city than the farmers.
 What were their homes like?
• The rich lived in houses of stone covered
with stucco. Their rooms were built
around a central patio.
• The farmers lived in huts near the fields.
The walls of their homes were made out of
wooden poles tied together by vines.
Their roofs were thatched and made out of
palm leaves or grasses.
What mystery is associated with
the Maya civilization?
• After 900 A.D. the Maya cities were
abandoned.
• Archaeologists are puzzled why this
occurred. There are many theories:
• A great famine or sickness swept the land.
• Their cities were attacked by others.
• The poor revolted against the rich or the rulers