Ancient Mayans lived from 2500 BC and the Mayan civilisation lasted until 900 AD.
Mayans lived in a place called Mesoamerica which was made of Mexico and parts of Central America.
Mayans traded a variety of goods around their empire, often by sea.
60 cities were built by the Maya and they had one ruler per city. They believed their rulers were given the power by God.
Mayans were inventors: they invented their own calendar, farming methods, writing systems, sport and religion. The Mayans invented the concept of ‘zero’. Compare with previous civilizations we have learnt about and know the impact on our lives.
Main talent was building. They built palaces, pyramids, ceremonial structures and temples. This was impressive because they didn’t have metal tools.
Mayans played the game ‘Pok-a-tok’ as part of their cultural and religious traditions/festivals – children will know the rules of the game, why Mayans played it and what happened to the teams that won/lost
