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Watch: What beliefs were important?

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What were the key Mayan beliefs?

Ancient Maya character in heaven
  • The Maya believed in many gods, each representing a different part of life.

  • These gods had to be pleased so Maya communities made regular offerings to them, in the form of animal (and sometimes human) sacrifices.

  • The Maya worshipped family members who had died. Similar to the Shang dynasty in China and also the ancient Egyptians, at around the same time (1500 BC).

  • Maya households buried their dead underneath the floors so they could protect the living.

Ancient Maya character in heaven
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Some Maya gods

Chaac is the god of rain. The Maize God created maize. Itzamna created humans. Kinich-Ahau is the Sun God. Kukulkan is the Serpent God.
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What was the cosmos?

  • The Maya believed the Earth had the form of a giant turtle that floated on an endless ocean and that the sky was held up by four mighty gods called Bacabs.

  • The sky was made up of 13 levels in the heavens.

  • Those who were sacrificed or who died in battle went to one of the top levels.

Ancient Maya priest giving a thumbs up in the underworld.
  • Those who died of natural causes went to Xibalba, the shadowy underworld, which had nine levels.

  • Each level was associated with a colour and a direction; north was white, east was red, south was yellow, and west was black. The mortal (living) world was in between.

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Activities

Activity 1: Quiz - Maya beliefs

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Activity 2: History Explorer game

Play this game to test your knowledge and learn even more facts about the ancient Maya.

History Explorer: Secrets through time

History Explorer: Secrets through time: KS2 History

History Explorer: Secrets through time
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Bitesize Primary games. game

Play fun and educational primary games in science, maths, English, history, geography, art, computing and modern languages.

Bitesize Primary games
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