| A | B |
|---|
| MAIZE | Mesoamerican word for corn; major crop grown by Maya |
| HALACH UINICH | the ruler of a Mayan city state who was considered to be a living god |
| FALLOW | word that describes a field left to "rest" for 2-3 years before replanting |
| MILPA | the Mayan term for the "slash and burn" technique |
| SLASH AND BURN TECHNIQUE | agricultural method that involves burning dried trees to clear a field and to provide fertilizer |
| CACAO | beans used by the Maya to make chocolate |
| TEOTIHUACAN | ancient Mesoamerican city located near Mexico City; home of Altiplano Indians; homeland of Fire Is Born |
| STELE (STELA) | tall stone inscribed with Mayan hieroglyphics that recorded important events |
| PPOLM | the Mayan name for a trader or merchant |
| WELL OF SACRIFICE | well in Chichen Itza used for human sacrifice; victims were thrown into the well |
| BARTER | system of trade where money is not used; goods are traded for goods |
| CAUSEWAYS | raised roadways that ran through Mayan cities. |
| CODEX | a Mayan book that opened like a fan |
| ALTIPLANOS | Mesoamerican tribe whose capital city was Teotihuacan; believed to have descended from the Olmecs |
| FRESCOES | Mayan murals created by applying paint to wet walls |
| GLYPHS | picture symbols used to represent Mayan sounds, words, or syllables |
| EQUINOX | one of two days of the year when there are an equal number of hours of daylight and darkness |
| AHKIN | Mayan priest |
| COURT OF A THOUSAND COLUMNS | Most famous Mayan marketplace, located in Chichen Itza |
| KIN | the Mayan name for a day in the solar calendar |
| SACRED ROUND | the religious calendar of the Maya |
| FIRE IS BORN | envoy (invader) from Teotihuacan who conquered Mayan city-states, replacing leaders with men from the west |
| HIEROGLYPHICS | system of writing used by the Maya |
| SOLAR CALENDAR | "everyday" Mayan calendar, similar to the one we use |
| MAYAPAN | the only walled city of the Maya; became Mayan capital in the 13th century after the fall of the great cities of the Classic Era |
| UINAL | Mayan name for a month of the solar calendar |
| RELIEF | the process of sculpting raised figures on a wall of stone |
| STELA (STELE) 31 | deciphered recently to reveal new information about the mysterious disappearance of the Maya |
| TORTILLA | flat bread made from maize, stuffed with meat and vegetables |
| MERÍDA | capital city built by the Spanish; now the capital of Yucatan, Mexico |
| POK-TA-POK | Mayan ball-game |
| TAYASAL | last Mayan kingdom; conquered by the Spanish in 1697 |
| K'ATUN | festival held to unveil new stela containing hieroglyphic record of events over the past 20 years. |
| TRIBUTE | a "tax" paid to a conquering leader--might be in the form of a product or it could be in the form of labor |
