Question

the maya
important vocabulary
appear: aparecer dough: masa repay: pagar provided: previsto archeologist: arqueólogo
if you fly over the jungles of central america, stone islands would seem to appear from the sea of green trees. these are the ruins of the maya. the maya were one of the first large civilizations in mesoamerica. most of the mayan population was in the yucatan peninsula (circled area). you can still visit ancient mayan buildings in the jungles of mexico, belize, honduras, el salvador, and guatemala.

1. most of the population was in the _

the maya believed that the gods created humans from dough made of corn and blood. to repay the gods, the maya made animal and human sacrifices. the most honored god of the maya was chaac, who provided rain to the maya farmers. there are few rivers in the region, so the maya were dependent upon chaacs kindness. later maya built huge cisterns, or storage tanks, to collect and store rainwater for crops. the maya grew squash, beans, potatoes, tomatoes, and cocoa, but maize (also known as corn) was their primary food and the reason the maya population grew. they were also the first people to take the seeds out of cacao bean. they used the seeds to make the earliest version of hot chocolate. even the tortilla was created by the maya!

1. cisterns are used to collect and store _
2. what is maize? _
3. the maya used _ to make hot chocolate

mayan astronomers studied the sky and kept careful records for their religious ceremonies because the maya believed sacrifices to the gods had to be completed at the right time. no ancient calendar is more famous than that of the maya. the maya used two calendars. they had an everyday calendar with 13 months of 20 days each was used the most. the maya also had a solar calendar that was like our own. dates were so important to the maya that many named their children after the name of the date of the birth. when archeologists were able to read the calendar, they realized it ended in the year 2012. when 2012 got closer, many people believed that this was a prophecy for the end of the world. but like many prophecies, the year 2012 passed with no problems. it is most likely that this was just then end of that specific calendar.

1. why did the maya need calendars? _

Explanation:

The text mentions that Mayan astronomers studied the sky and kept records for religious ceremonies as sacrifices had to be at the right time. This indicates the need for calendars.

Answer:

Because Mayan astronomers studied the sky and kept careful records for their religious ceremonies as the Maya believed sacrifices to the gods had to be completed at the right time.