Maya Daily Life
 

The Mayas had a class society. There were slaves, peasants, artisans, nobility, priests, and leaders.

Many of the Maya peasants were farmers. They worked hard to raise crops. They did not use animals to pull plows. They prepared the soil, planted the seed, tended the crops, and harvested by hand. Sometimes they even terraced the hillsides to make more land for planting. 



The Maya craftspeople made beautiful murals, statues, sculpture, container,  jewelry, carvings, clothing, and headdresses. Like the architecture, much of the art was in honor of the gods or leaders.

 
The Maya had a different view of beauty than we do today. However, some of the things they did then people still do today, such as pierce their ears and get tattoos.

By looking at statues and carvings found in many Maya cities archeologists can tell what the ancient Maya looked like or wanted to look like - straight black hair, elongated skulls, and high cheekbones.

 
 

ACTIVITIES
1. Create a sculpture that could be from the time of the Maya civilization.
2. Design a headdress that may have been worn by the Maya nobility.
 
 
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