What were homes in the ancient Maya civilisation like?

The Maya people lived in different types of homes based on their social status. This depended on their job, their role in society and how much wealth they had.

• Commoners, ordinary people, lived in one room homes that were built on the ground and made of wood.
• Nobles lived in large houses built of stone in the centre of the Maya cities.

The Maya built many temples, palaces, causeways, schools and marketplaces.

These buildings were so large that it took a large amount of time and effort to build, from cutting and moving the stone to finishing the decoration. Some cities, such as Tikal, took hundreds of years to be built and slowly grow into powerful cities.

The royals and nobles lived in the ceremonial centre of a city and the ordinary people lived further out.

The temples and palaces were mainly made of stone. Limestone in particular was available across much of the Maya region. Limestone is soft when first cut and hardens with age.

Fired bricks, volcanic rock and sandstone were used in areas where there was no limestone. The limestone was burned to make cement or plaster.

Wood was used for beams and poles, and thatch for huts, covered with adobe, which was mud strengthened straw.

The Maya did not use the wheel because the landscape was very hilly and they didn’t have access to strong animals, such as horses or cows, to pull heavy materials. They are thought to have moved stone by pulling it with ropes and rolling it over logs, as well as using simple machines such as pulleys.

Ordinary Maya homes were not built on platforms like the city temples and palaces but on ground level.

They were built in an oval shape, usually from wooden poles with clay and mud (wattle and daub). Stone walls were rarely used in ordinary homes but was used for important buildings.

Each home had:

• a roof made from thatch or plants to keep out rain and snow
• one room, sometimes with a wall to divide it

Everyone in the home would sleep next to each other in the back part. Beds were built with rods, made from young trees, with a mat placed on top of them.

There might have been a hearth, a fireplace used for cooking, and every house had pottery which could be used for everyday tasks

When family members died they were often buried underneath or near the house.

The Maya were skilled builders who built strong, stable buildings that were earthquake resistant. They used special materials, such as quicklime, which hardened and made their buildings stronger.

They also used sap in their plaster which helped make their buildings weather resistant.

This meant that Maya buildings lasted for a long time, they didn't disappear completely and their ruins were discovered by archaeologists. With the help of scientists, they were able to discover and understand how the Maya built and why they were so successful.

Have a look at the thinking points below and think about your answer to each question. You could even write them down on a piece of paper or discuss them with somebody else if you want to.

• The video shows Jade at home on the family farm and she says her brother is a warrior who is getting a tattoo as a reward. How are their lives different and how are they similar?

• The Maya didn’t use the wheel when building, but they were still able to build large palaces and temples. What may have been a consequence of not using the wheel?

• Now you know how the Maya made their buildings strong and weather resistant, what does this tell you about the Maya people and how they worked?

Let's find out what you know about Maya houses in this quiz.

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