Strand
History, Social Studies
Objectives
Students will research various aspects of daily life, customs, traditions, and beliefs from the Mayan culture. Students will write an analytical essay exploring how these practices, traditions, and beliefs were preserved over the years into the New World and present day.
Historical Perspective
Today, descendants of the great Mayan, Aztec, and Incan civilizations live in Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean. The Mayan civilization flourished, starting in about 1500 B.C., until the Spanish conquered their land during the 1500s. During this 3000-year period, large settlements grew, populations expanded, and people were supported by the richness of the earth. The sophisticated achievements of this civilization were recorded in stone architecture, temples, palaces, sculpture, ceramics, and metallurgy. With the discovery of the New World by Europeans in 1492 all this changed. The arrival of the Spanish led to the discovery of unexpected territory in Mesoamerica (what is now most of Mexico and Upper Central America) and the Andean area of South America, and to the death and destruction of the Old World. Although these ancient civilizations ended with the Spanish Conquest, many descendants still survive to the present day. Their lives have changed greatly over the past 500 years and much of their world was lost. Yet even after centuries of exploitation and change, important aspects of the Maya way of life (and of Aztec and Inca traditions) have managed to survive.
Pacing
Two class periods
Materials
Expository Writing
Students have the opportunity to write an Analytical Essay (see Extension below).
Key Questions
- Where can evidence be found of the merging of Mayan culture and Spanish culture?
- How do customs, legends, and beliefs get carried down through the generations?
- Which aspects of ancient tradition are maintained in modern culture? Which are lost?
- How are the preserved traditions manifested through art, culture, and food?
Latino American Experience Research
Students will research Mayan culture and find examples of Mayan traditions. They will analyze the impact that this culture had on the New World and continues to have today in Mexico and parts of Central America. They will use this research to write an essay that will include aspects of modern culture that were directly influenced by ancient cultures. Encourage students to focus on several aspects of Mayan culture that interest them. Have students research these topics using the provided links. Encourage them to use the suggested graphic organizer and the timeline from The Latino American Experience’s Origins section to take thorough notes. The essay should clearly identify specific characteristics, customs, and beliefs of Mayan culture and show concrete examples of its presence today.
Document-based Questions
To get your students thinking about the merging of ancient culture with the present-day culture, have them look at the painting and answer the questions that follow:
“La antorcha de Quetzalcoátl” by Leo Tanguma
- Describe what you see in this painting.
- Who is Quetzalcoátl?
- How does this image merge the old and new worlds?
- What about this drawing looks familiar to you?
Directions
Distribute the Student Activity sheet or have students access it via the Classroom Resources site. Have students research Mayan Culture. Have students keep the following topics in mind as they conduct their research:
- Religious beliefs
- Legends/folktales
- Arts and Crafts
- Art and Architecture
- Daily customs
- Agriculture and Food
Tell students to use the graphic organizer provided to take notes. Remind students that their writing should incorporate specific details about Mayan culture and examples of its presence in the Hispanic world today. Students may want to make a selection from the given topics in order to focus their research and writing.
Assessment
Use the Analytic Essay Rubric to assess student writing.
Extension
Have students use The Latino American Experience to research and write an additional analytical essay on another part of the Hispanic world (e.g., the Aztec culture in Mexico and Central American or the Incan culture in South America).
(May be copied for classroom use.)