Question

chapter 16 section 2 (pages 446 - 451)
maya kings and cities
before you read
in the last section, you read about societies in north america.
in this section, you will read about the maya civilization in mexico and central america.
as you read
use the chart below to take notes on maya civilization.
terms and names
tikal maya city in present - day guatemala
glyph picture symbol used as part of a writing system
codex book with bark - paper pages; only three of these ancient maya books have survived
popul vuh book containing a maya story of creation
maya create city - states (pages 446 - 447)
who were the maya?
a great civilization arose in what is today southern mexico and northern central america. this was the maya civilization. it appeared around a.d. 250. between then and 900, the maya built large cities such as tikal and copán. each city was independent and ruled by a god - king. each city was a religious center as well as a trade center for the area around it. these cities were large. tens of thousands of people lived in these cities. the cities were full of palaces, temples, and pyramids. archaeologists have found at least 50 maya cities.
trade linked these cities. among the trade goods were salt, flint, feathers, shells, cotton cloth, and ornaments made of jade. cacao beans, which are used to make chocolate, were sometimes used as money. maize, beans, and squash were the main foods.
maya society was divided into social classes. the best warriors and priests were at the top. the merchants and craft workers were at the next level. peasant farmers—the majority of the people—were at the bottom.

1. what is known about maya cities?

Explanation:

To answer what is known about Maya cities, we refer to the text. It states Maya cities (like Tikal, Copán) were independent, ruled by god - kings, religious and trade centers, had large populations (tens of thousands), were full of palaces/temples/pyramids, at least 50 exist, and were linked by trade (trading goods like salt, flint, cacao beans (used as money), maize, etc.).

Answer:

Maya cities (e.g., Tikal, Copán) were independent, ruled by god - kings, served as religious and trade centers, had large populations (tens of thousands), were filled with palaces, temples, and pyramids, at least 50 have been found, and were linked by trade (trading goods like salt, flint, cacao beans (sometimes used as money), maize, beans, squash, etc.).