The Maya
Facts were hidden around the Year 6 quad for the children to find. They rose to the challenge of being archaeologists and we collated the facts to find out about this ancient civilisation. We focused on Hernan Cortes, the Spanish conquistador, who found the remains of the Maya ruins, then created diaries as this character.
In Forest School, the children whittled sticks and created Maya plantations as they were a people who relied on farming. The children enjoyed developing new sophisticated skills and were able to utilise their knowledge of the Maya way-of-life.
Confidence
As the half-term proceeded, Year 6 began to explore Maya artefacts and analysed the pictures Frederick Catherwood. We then moved onto Maya religion, way of life, hierarchy and how the states were structured. Year 6 were enthusiastic and loved the culture. Alongside this, in DT Year 6 learnt about Maya food and began planning a Maya feast.
Challenge
Towards the end of the topic, we identified the most likely end of the Maya people. Year 6 came up with ideas from earthquakes, to wars and disease. We had some interesting debates! To celebrate our achievement, we feasted like the Maya. Year 6 had planned ad adapted Maya recipes for a modern audience. They create tortilla tamalitos, spicy bean stew, nachos and cayenne salad, followed by a delicious peppery hot chocolate. Believe us when we say it was delicious!
