Lesson video

Hello historians.

My name is Ms. Krijnauw, and I'm so pleased that you have joined me in this lesson in the unit about non-European societies.

In this lesson, we're embarking on an exciting journey to unravel the mysteries of the Maya calendars.

The Maya were master timekeepers, and their calendars played a crucial role in their daily lives, in religious ceremonies, in farming, and how the city states were governed.

In this lesson, we'll delve deep into the different calendars the Maya used, and why they were so important to them.

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to explain why calendars were so important to the Maya, and it is my job to support you with the learning materials and resources.

Before we start this lesson, there are some key words I would like to introduce you to.

You might want to take a note of these words, so that when they come up in this lesson, you can check their meaning.

The words are celestial body, calendar, cycle.

Let's find out what the words mean.

Celestial body.

A celestial body is an object in space, like a star, planet, moon, or comet.

Calendar.

A calendar is a chart that's used to keep track of days, weeks, months, and years.

Cycle.

A cycle is a sequence of events that occur repeatedly, and follow the same pattern each time.

This lesson about the calendars of the Maya has two learning cycles, and the first one is entitled Maya astronomy and celestial observations.

The Maya believed that the sky was where the gods lived.

They carefully studied the movements of the sun, moon, stars, and planets.

They believed that by understanding the movements of these celestial bodies, they would be able to understand messages from the gods and predict events.

The Maya saw a direct connection between events in the sky and events on Earth.

They believed that celestial phenomena, such as eclipses, movements of the planets, and the positions of stars and constellations, influenced the human world on Earth.

The Maya belief that by interpreting celestial events, they could discern messages from the gods and gain insight into their divine will.

For example, a solar eclipse might be seen as a sign of the gods' displeasure.

While a favourable alignment of planets could signify a time of prosperity.

Let's check for understanding.

Which of the following images does not show a celestial body? Is it A, the moon, B, clouds, C, planet Venus, or D, the sun? The answer is B.

Clouds are not considered to be celestial bodies, whereas the moon, planet Venus, and the sun are.

There was another reason why the Maya developed their knowledge of astronomy.

They were highly skilled farmers, and by observing the movements of celestial bodies, they could track the cycles of the seasons and predict weather patterns, and work out the best times for planting and harvesting crops to ensure a plentiful harvest.

By observing celestial bodies, such as the position of stars and the appearance of certain constellations, the Maya could predict weather patterns.

This allowed them to predict rainfall, drought, and other climatic conditions that could affect their crop growth.

Additionally, the Maya tracked the movements of the celestial bodies to develop calendars, so that they could use them to plan religious ceremonies and celebrations.

These calendars helped them determine the right times for performing rituals to honour the gods and to celebrate in festivals.

By aligning their religious activities with celestial events and farming cycles, the Maya believed that they could maintain harmony with the natural world and keep the gods happy.

Let's consolidate our learning.

Which two statements explain why the Maya observed the movements of celestial bodies? A, to track the cycles of the seasons to help with farming practises, B, to remember to celebrate Christmas, C, to develop calendars to plan religious ceremonies, or D, to know when the school holidays were.

Pause the video here, and when you are ready for the answers, press play.

The Maya observed the movements of celestial bodies to track the cycles of the seasons to help with farming practises, and to develop calendars to plan religious ceremonies.

Good work.

The celestial observations were often conducted using the naked eye, but the Maya also built observatories.

These observatories were built in different shapes and sizes, but they usually had a tall tower with openings or windows aligned to specific astronomical events.

One famous Maya observatory is called El Caracol, at the archaeological site of Chichen Itza in present-day Mexico.

El Caracol was used by the Maya to observe Venus, a bright planet in the sky.

Let's consolidate our learning.

Here is an image of El Caracol in Mexico.

It was built by the ancient Maya.

What was this building's purpose? Pause the video here, and when you are ready to reflect on the answer, press play.

An answer that you could have given is this: El Caracol was an observatory that was built by the Maya to observe the movements of celestial bodies.

Well done if your answer was similar to this one.

The first learning task of this lesson has two parts.

Here is the first part.

Tick the correct column to say whether the following statements are true or false.

The Maya believed that their gods lived underground.

By studying the movements of celestial bodies, the Maya could work out the best times to plant and harvest crops.

The Maya develops calendars according to the cycles of the celestial bodies.

They use telescopes to observe the sky.

Pause the video here, and when you are ready to check your answers, press play.

Let's reflect on the answers.

The Maya believed that their gods lived underground.

That is false.

By studying the movements of celestial bodies, the Maya could work out the best times to plant and harvest crops.

That statement is true.

The Maya developed calendars according to the cycles of the celestial bodies.

That one is true as well.

They used telescopes to observe the sky.

That statement is false.

Now, the second part of this task says correct the false statements.

The false statements were the Maya believed that their gods lived underground.

And they used telescopes to observe the sky.

Pause the video here, and when you have corrected those false statements, press play.

Let's find out what the corrected statements could have looked like.

The Maya believed that their gods did not live underground, but that they lived in the sky.

And the Maya did not use telescopes to observe the sky, but rather they built observatories to observe the sky.

Well done if you correctly fixed those false statements.

The second part of this lesson is entitled Maya calendar systems and timekeeping.

The Maya closely observed the natural world around them, including the movements of the sun, moon, stars, and seasonal changes.

They recognised that these events occurred in predictable cycles, such as the daily rising and setting of the sun, the phases of the moon, and the changing seasons.

Over time, the Mayan noticed patterns in the natural world, realising that they repeated in cycles.

For example, the sun rose and set each day at certain times, depending on the time of the year.

The moon went through phases in a repeating pattern, and the seasons followed a natural cycle.

Inspired by nature's cycles, the Maya developed calendars that mirrored these patterns.

Instead of linear calendars, that showed one year and then the next, Mayan calendars were circular in nature, with cycles that repeated indefinitely.

Let's check for understanding.

Explain to your learning partner why the Maya developed circular calendars.

Pause the video here, and when you are ready to check your answer, press play.

Here is an example of an answer that you could have given.

The Maya knew that in nature events occur in cycles, such as the movements of celestial bodies and the change in seasons.

They developed circular calendars to show the natural cycles that repeat over and over again.

Good work.

The Maya had different calendars for different purposes.

Some of these calendars were based on celestial movements, while others were linked to farming cycles, which helped plan winter plants and harvest maize.

Other calendars were for special ceremonies and predicting the future.

The Maya had a solar calendar, known as the Haab, which consisted of 18 months of 20 days each, plus a short month of five days, known as Wayeb, and it was during this short month that special ceremonies were held to mark the end of farming cycles and the beginning of the next.

This calendar was used for farming purposes, as it helped the Maya track the seasons and plan activities related to agriculture, such as planting and harvesting maze.

The Haab calendar allowed the Maya to recognise the cyclical patterns of nature, such as the rainy season, the dry season, and periods of abundant or scarce resources.

This awareness was essential for adapting farming practises to changing environmental conditions.

In addition to the Haab, the Maya also had a sacred calendar known as the Tzolk'in.

This calendar consisted of repeating cycles of 260 days, with each day associated with a unique combination of a number and a day sign.

The Tzolk'in was used for religious ceremonies and predicting the future.

It is also related to the growth cycle of corn.

Furthermore, the Maya developed a Long Count calendar, which, unlike the circular nature of the Haab and the Tzolk'in, was a linear calendar.

In other words, it was arranged along a straight line, and it was used for tracking longer periods of time.

The Long Count calendar was often used to record historical events, such as when rulers were born, when battles happened, and when religious ceremonies took place.

The Long Count calendar helped Maya rulers show that they were in charge, and had the right to rule.

It gave them a way to say, "Look, I'm ruling at the right time, according to the celestial bodies." Maya rulers could say that their rule was backed by the gods, because their time and power lined up with important cosmic cycles.

This made people more likely to follow and respect them as leaders.

By using the Long Count calendar, Maya families and communities could remember where they came from, and pass on their traditions to future generations, and help them stay connected to their culture and heritage over many years.

Let's check for understanding.

Match the Maya calendar to its function.

So there is the Haab, Tzolk'in, and Long Count calendars.

Their functions, to record historical events, to track the seasons and plan farming cycles, or to plan religious ceremonies and predict the future.

Let's check the answers.

The Haab was there to track the seasons and plan farming cycles.

The Tzolk'in was a calendar to plan religious ceremonies and predict the future.

The Long Count was used to record historical events.

Well done.

These calendars weren't just basic counting tools.

They were complicated maths puzzles that needed advanced knowledge and skill to make and understand.

The Maya used advanced mathematical concepts, like addition and subtraction, and using numbers in specific ways to calculate and track time accurately.

The Maya didn't just use their calendars to mark the passage of time.

They also used them as a tool to record important moments in history and culture.

They did this by carving dates and details of significant events onto monuments and stelae, using their intricate hieroglyphic writing system.

These inscriptions weren't just random scribbles.

They meticulously documented things like the birth of kings, the outcomes of battles, and the timing of religious ceremonies.

Hieroglyphics were essentially the written language of the Maya, made up of symbols that represented sounds, words, and concepts.

By combining their calendars with a writing system, the Maya created a detailed record of their past, allowing us to piece together their history, and understand their culture, even today.

It's time to check for understanding again.

Change two words in the sentence to make it correct.

The Maya recorded historical events on paper using their alphabetic writing system.

Pause the video here, and when you are ready to reflect on the answer, press play.

Let's check the answer.

The Maya recorded events on monuments or stelae, not paper, using their hieroglyphic writing system.

Well done if you got that correct.

We have now come to the last learning task of this lesson.

It says, using the words and phrases below, explain why calendars were so important to the Maya.

Celestial bodies, cycles, the gods, Haab, Tzolk'in, Long Count calendar.

Pause the video here, and when you are ready to reflect on the answer, press play.

Well, your answer could have included, calendars were important to the Maya, because they helped them to track the movements of celestial bodies, which they believed would help them understand messages from the gods and predict define events.

The Maya developed circular calendars, like the Haab and Tzolk'in, which helped them track the cycles of nature to plan the best times for planting and harvesting crops, and when to hold religious ceremonies.

They also had a Long Count calendar to record historical events.

Well done if your answer is similar to this one, and an extra big well done if you managed to use all the words highlighted in green.

We have now come to the end of this lesson about the calendars of the Maya, but before we go, let's summarise what we have learned.

The Maya believed that their gods lived in the sky.

To understand messages from the gods and predict divine events, they carefully tracked the movements of celestial bodies.

The Maya realised that events in nature occur in cycles, so they developed circular calendars, like the Haab and Tzolk'in, to plan the best times for planting and harvesting crops, and when to hold religious ceremonies.

They also had a linear calendar, known as the Long Count calendar, to record historical events.

Well done on all your hard work today, and thank you for joining me in this lesson.

I have really enjoyed accompanying you on this journey as we uncovered the mysteries of the calendars of the Maya, and I hope to see you again very soon.