USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Mayan cities were largely supported by a series of farming communities that existed in the rainforest surrounding the cities. In these rainforests, farmers would use ‘slash and burn’ farming techniques to harvest their crops.

Detailed explanation-2: -Unlike other scattered Indigenous populations of Mesoamerica, the Maya were centered in one geographical block covering all of the Yucatan Peninsula and modern-day Guatemala; Belize and parts of the Mexican states of Tabasco and Chiapas; and the western part of Honduras and El Salvador.

Detailed explanation-3: -Maya farmers terraced the slopes of the volcanic mountains, cut back the heavy forests, constructed raised fields in the swampy lowlands, and conserved water in reservoirs in the Yucatán Peninsula. Irrigation canals supplied water that was carried into the fields in clay vessels.

Detailed explanation-4: -Nobles were literate and wealthy, and typically lived in the central areas of Maya cities. Commoners worked as farmers, laborers, and servants.

Detailed explanation-5: -Mayan Government. The Mayans developed a hierarchical government ruled by kings and priests. They lived in independent city-states consisting of rural communities and large urban ceremonial centers. There were no standing armies, but warfare played an important role in religion, power and prestige.