Mayans

THE MAYANS


 * **Chichén Itzá**
 * By Sharon Fabian ** ||  || [[image:http://www.edhelperclipart.com/clipart/edhelp1.gif width="142" height="50"]] ||

1 You've heard of North America. And South America. And Central America. But have you heard of Mesoamerica?

2 Mesoamerica was the ancient home of the Mayans. It included what is now southern Mexico and parts of four more countries. Look on a map and put your finger on the Yucatan Peninsula. You are in Mesoamerica.

3 The Mayans have lived in these rain forests for thousands of years. In ancient times, they discovered ways to do many things. They farmed on the steep mountain sides. They invented a calendar. They invented a written language. They invented ways of doing math.

4 Their way of doing math is interesting. It used just three signs for all of the numbers. A dot stood for the number one. A line stood for five. A shell stood for zero. With these three signs, the Mayans could write any number. Do you know what number this is: three dots and one line? How about this one: two dots and three lines?

5 The Mayans were smart and creative. They used many inventions that were unknown in other parts of the world.

6 They created great cities. These large cities had homes, farms, businesses, and temples. You can still see these cities today on the Yucatan Peninsula.

7 One of the most famous Mayan cities is Chichen Itza. Chichen Itza was a good place to live. It had a good water supply, very important in this dry land.

8 Chichen Itza's water was found in //cenotes//. Cenotes are natural wells. Water collected in the cenotes from the limestone rock. These deep, green pools provided water for the city.

9 By around 600 A.D., Chichen Itza had become an important city. Mayan leaders ruled from impressive buildings in the city center.

10 Mayan farmers raised crops on the steep slopes. They built their fields like stair steps. Stone walls made each step level for farming.

11 In the city center, they built great temples. The temple called El Castillo is a large pyramid. There are steps going up and down the outside.

12 It was a temple to the god Quetzalcoatyl. This god was pictured as a snake with wings.

13 Today, many people visit El Castillo to see a special sight. It only happens on certain days. It looks like Quetzalcoatyl slithering down the side of the temple. It is really just a shadow. It is a special effect created by the Mayan temple builder.

14 At Chichen Itza you can see many more Mayan creations.