Watch: What was home life like for Maya people?
What did the Maya build?
The Maya built huge amounts of temples, palaces, causeways, schools and marketplaces.
The royals and nobles lived in the centre and the ordinary people further out.
How were the buildings made?
The temples and palaces were mainly made of stone.
Wood was used for beams and poles, and thatch for huts, covered with adobe, which was mud strengthened straw.
The Maya did not use the wheel.
They moved stone on logs or with pulleys.
What were ordinary homes like?
- Ordinary Maya homes were not built on platforms like the city temples and palaces but on ground level.
- They were built in an oval shape, from wooden poles with clay and mud (wattle and daub).
- They had a thatched roof, or plants, to keep the rain and snow out.
- Stone walls were rare.
- They had one room which they all shared, including the parents, sometimes with a wall to divide the house.
- They would sleep in the back part.
- There might have been a fireplace to cook on and every house had pottery.
- Beds were made from young tree (sapling) branches with a mat placed on top.
- They often buried family members underneath or near the house.
Activities
Activity 1: Quiz 鈥 Maya houses
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
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