a lintel is the beam such as a piece of stone or wood over a door or window which supports the bricks above the door or window

bloodletting was the practice of cutting part of the body to release blood

Bloodletting and the Maya

History

In ‘Non-European societies: Benin or the Maya’ pupils are encouraged to compare and contrast their understanding of Anglo-Saxon England with a non-European society that was roughly contemporaneous. In ‘Significant turning points: how did experiences differ during WW2?' Pupils extend their chronological understanding by studying the significant turning point of WW2.

In ‘The Vikings: how did Viking settlement help to make England?’ pupils studied the political narrative of how Viking settlement helped to forge England. In ‘Non-European societies: Benin or the Maya’ pupils are encouraged to compare and contrast their understanding of Anglo-Saxon England with a non-European society that was roughly contemporaneous.

If pupils study Benin, they learn about Benin's culture and society and how its looted artworks have caused modern controversy. If they study the Maya, they build knowledge of this civilisation to analyse what made them so distinctive.

Non-European societies: Benin or the Maya

Depiction of scary, confusing or unsettling events or characters placed in danger, including creation of a scary atmosphere through the use of music and sound.

Depiction or discussion of upsetting content

Subjects which particular individuals may be sensitive to, eg, adoption, migration, bereavement or death, divorce, poverty, deprivation.

Depiction or discussion of sensitive content

a beam such as a piece of stone or wood over a door or window

the practice of cutting part of the body to release blood

pictures or symbols that represent a word

to support the bricks above a door or window

Maya religious ceremonies often involved {{  }}.

the king's wife pulling a thorned rope through her tongue

On a stone lintel in the Maya city of Yaxchilán, archaeologists found a carving of a bloodletting ceremony with the following features: 

to show that she and her husband were the rightful rulers

Why did the king's wife pull the thorned rope through her tongue?

why the bloodletting ritual was important

What do archaeologists believe the hieroglyphs on the lintel say?

In which part of the world did the Maya live?

a person who scientifically studies humans and their customs

a person who studies human history through excavating significant sites

where people gathered for important events, e.g. religious rituals

buildings where rulers and nobility lived

Match the features of a Maya city to its definition.

Temples and other buildings within ceremonial centres were connected by raised paved roads known as {{  }}.

stone slabs decorated with pictures of Maya rulers and hieroglyphic writings

Maya cities often contained stelae, which are {{  }}.

influence weather patterns and water supply

Why was Mesoamerica an ideal area for ancient civilisations to develop? Match the feature to the reason.

Content guidance

Depiction or discussion of upsetting content

Depiction or discussion of sensitive content

Adult supervision recommended

This lesson will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

Bloodletting and the Maya

Lesson outcome

Content guidance

This lesson will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.