Day 117: Mayan Social Structure (3/20/2012)

Aim: The historians of 2017 will write a two paragraph historical fiction narrative from the perspective of a Mayan citizen.

Task 1: Submit your homework. If you submitted your homework online, you do not have to submit it again.

Task 2 Quick Question: If you were there... You live in a village in the lowlands of Mesoamerica. Your family members have always been weavers, and now your aunts are teaching you to weave cloth from cotton grown by nearby farmers. Traders from other areas often pass through your village. They tell wonderful stories about strange animals and sights they see in their travels. After talking to the traders who buy your cloth, you begin to think about becoming a trader too. Why might you become a trader?

Task 3: Open the presentation on life in the Mayan empire and following along as we go through it. If you need to go back and hear the presentation again, you can watch it below--though it's not the best quality, just meant to get you the information you need. :)

Task 4: On your history portfolio, write a two paragraph historical fiction narrative from the perspective of a person living in the Mayan Empire. You can write it as if you were a farmer, peasant, or nobel person (not the ruler). You may want to look at tonight's homework to get more ideas on what life was like in the Mayan Empire.

Task 5: Create a Google presentation that features the different levels of the Mayan social structure. We will be adding to this presentation as we learn about the different Mesoamerican civilizations. Feel free to use my presentation as an example.

Homework: Read about family life in the Mayan empire and create three multiple choice questions. Make sure you list the correct answer first.

(photo credit)