Year 5 Maya Houses
11th February 2022
The Year 5s have been learning about the ancient Maya civilization this term. They were a society that lived in Central America and existed even before 2600BCE!
They are known for being skilled astronomers, amazing artists and deeply religious people. They built huge pyramids in the jungles and grew so vastly that they expanded to over 40 cities in this small section of Central America. They created their own writing and counting systems and even a complex calendar based on their observations of the sky.
Most Maya lived very simply in the jungles. Unless they were part of the ruling family or nobility, they lived in simple mud huts. Year 5 wanted to recreate what a home would look like so they built their own! The children had to carefully cut out the pieces based on the measurements they had (putting some good Maths skills into use) and then tape their home together. Finally, the children went outside and ‘painted’ the houses with mud and added thatched roofs. Some Year 5s even enjoyed making different furniture pieces out of mud to add a decorative flare.
