mp02 120114bsht co · the pyramid at chichen itza in mexico was built for the serpent god kukulcan....

© 2012 Universal Uclick

release dates: January 14-20 2-1 (12)

from The Mini Page © 2012 Universal Uclick

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Studying the Skies

The Ancient Maya Have you been hearing stories that the ancient Maya predicted the world would end this year? Don’t worry. They did no such thing. The 2012 prophecies are just made-up stories. The Maya had an advanced civilization in the area of Mexico and Central America about 2,000 years ago. They were astronomers who developed an incredible calendar to keep track of events over many thousands of years. It just so happens that this calendar begins a new cycle in 2012, as our calendar did in the year 2000. People are having fun saying this means the end of the world. But it just means that the calendar passed a milestone. The Mini Page talked with Dr. Carolyn Sumners at the Houston Museum of Natural Science to learn more about the real story.

Amazing scientists The Maya developed one of the most complex civilizations of the ancient world. They were astronomers with an advanced system of writing. Unlike many other ancient people, they developed in isolation (eye-suh-LAY-shun), or away from other civilizations. Other ancient cultures, such as the Egyptians and Greeks, learned a lot from other peoples. The Maya had to discover all on their own. They built great structures without metal tools, beasts of burden*, or vehicles with wheels, such as carts.

Pyramids The Maya built great pyramids that were lined up to follow the movements of the sun. For example, on the shortest day of the year, or the winter solstice (SOHL-stis), the sun rose at

a certain spot over a pyramid temple. Priests knew that from that day forward, the sun

would rise a bit to the north each day. When the sun finally rose directly to the north of the pyramid, the rains would come. Other pyramids were lined up with the setting sun. They were all built to predict the rains.

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In this piece of art, a Mayan priest faces the sunrise on top of the pyramid at the ancient city of Tikal. The pyramids at Mayan cities towered above the rainforest. They were built as observatories to tell the date from the position of the sun.From the top of the pyramids, priests could also map the motions of Venus. Venus was even more important to the Maya than the sun for predicting rainfall. They thought Venus was really their god Kukulcan (KOO-kuhl-kahn).

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The pyramid at Chichen Itza in Mexico was built for the serpent god Kukulcan. The Maya believed that when he returned each spring, his tail raised the winds and swept the earth clean before the coming rains.

*Beasts of burden are big animals tame enough to help people carry heavy loads.

Words that remind us of the Maya are hidden in the block below. Some words are hidden backward or diagonally. See if you can find: ADVANCED, ASTRONOMERS, CALENDARS, CIVILIZATION, CODEX, DAY, END, KUKULCAN, MEXICO, MONSTER, PROPHECY, PYRAMID, RAIN, RAINFOREST, SACRIFICE, SKY, SNAKE, SUN, VENUS, WORLD.

Maya try ’nfind

What’s on your calendar this

year?

C S E K T S E R O F N I A R K P O U N E C I F I R C A S K U R R D N D E K A N S D A Y V K O M A E L D E C N A V D A E U P E W I X D I M A R Y P S N L H X O M N R E T S N O M K U C E I R S R A D N E L A C Y S A C C L S R E M O N O R T S A N Y O D N O I T A Z I L I V I C


Basset Brown

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ready resourcesfrom The Mini Page © 2012 Universal Uclick

The Mini Page provides ideas for websites, books or other resources that will help you learn more about this week’s topics.On the Web:• spaceupdate.com/?planetarium_shows• hmns.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=441&I

temid=462• history.com/topics/mayaAt the library: • “Amazing Mayan Inventions You Can Build Yourself” by Sheri Bell-Rehwoldt • “National Geographic Investigates: Ancient Maya: Archaeology Unlocks the Secrets of the Maya’s Past” by Nathaniel Harris • “Secrets in Stone: All About Maya Hieroglyphs” by Laurie Coulter


Mayan CalendarsCounting by 20s The Maya used a system of 20 to count. This number was based on the number of fingers and toes people have. (We base our number system on 10.) Mayan calendars were also based on the number 20. Calendars The Maya used two different calendars throughout the year. One calendar gave the times to perform rituals. Today, this kind of calendar could help us keep track of events like planting and harvesting crops. The Mayan ritual calendar covered 260 days. It was made up of 13 numbers and 20 names. Their second calendar was a year-long calendar made up of 365 days. It was divided into 18 months of 20 days each. The Maya added five extra days to finish off the year. The Maya used this calendar to help them keep track of events like birthdays and holidays.

Long Count The Maya recorded long periods of time in a Long Count calendar. They used the Long Count to tell about their history and to tell the future. Altogether, the current Long Count calendar covers more than 5,000 years, ending in 2012. The Maya used this Long Count to describe when kings ruled or great battles were fought. They did not try to predict the end of the world.

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The Maya joined their two short calendars to form a third calendar that went about 52 years. It was designed to cover one person’s lifetime. The two calendars worked together with a kind of gear system. This new calendar was called the Calendar Round.

Maya time periods Much like we divide our calendars into days, years and centuries, the Maya had their own time periods. • a kin = 1 day • a winal = 20 days • a tun = nearly a year • a katun = almost 20 years • a baktun = just over 394 years The Maya celebrated the beginning of katuns and baktuns.

Rookie Cookie’s RecipeMandarin Orange Salad

You’ll need:• 1/4 cup olive oil• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar• 1 tablespoon sugar• pinch of pepper to taste• 1 (11-ounce) can mandarin oranges, drained• 1 (6- to 9-ounce) bag mixed greens• 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper• 1/4 cup slivered almondsWhat to do:1. Combine olive oil, vinegar, sugar and pepper in a jar; shake well.2. In a bowl, add oranges to dressing mixture and chill for 30 minutes.3. Place lettuce greens in a bowl; mix in red bell pepper.4. Gently mix in dressing.5. Top with slivered almonds. Serves 4 to 6.You will need an adult’s help with this recipe.


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Paula: How can a broken pizza be fixed? Peter: With tomato paste!

Pam: What do you have if you cross a tomato, some cheese and a mail carrier?

Patton: A pizza that delivers itself!

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All the following jokes have something in common. Can you guess the common theme or category?

Patty: What would you get if you stacked up thousands of pizzas?

Parker: The Leaning Tower of Pizzas!

Mini Spy . . .Mini Spy and her friends are visiting a Mayan temple. See if you can find: • exclamation mark • question mark• ice pop • hammer • word MINI • hot dog• arrow • number 3 • alligator • teapot• knife • cat • ring • letter E• letter D • basket • gift • ladder• kite • elephant • heart


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Meet Chloe Grace Moretz Chloe Grace Moretz stars as Isabelle in the movie “Hugo.” She has starred in several TV shows and movies, including “Diary of a Wimpy Kid.” She is the voice of Darby in the Disney TV show “My Friends Tigger & Pooh.” Chloe, 14, was born in Atlanta, Ga. She began modeling and appearing in commercials when she was 5. When she

was 6, she moved with her family from New York to Los Angeles. She enjoys gymnastics, swimming, ballet, basketball and her dogs and cat. She is an ambassador for the Starlight Children’s Foundation, which helps children who suffer from serious illness.

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Gods and Rain

The Mini Page StaffBetty Debnam - Founding Editor and Editor at Large Lisa Tarry - Managing Editor Lucy Lien - Associate Editor Wendy Daley - Artist

From the past to the future The Maya recorded important history and predictions in books and on buildings. Unfortunately, when the Spanish discovered the Mayas’ abandoned cities, they burned most of the books. Much of what we know is from writing on buildings. One of three surviving books is the Dresden Codex. A codex (KOE-deks) is an ancient book manuscript. A picture of a giant monster with sky symbols on its body is on the last page of the Dresden Codex. Water is gushing from its mouth. Some people think this picture is a prophecy of the end of the world by a great flood or a hurricane.Precious water In the area where the Maya lived, there were few rivers or natural lakes to collect water above ground. If rains did not come, people suffered. Priests who could predict rainfall had a lot of power. Kings built pyramids and temples to beg the gods to bring rain. The Maya of Chichen Itza built an observatory to watch their serpent god, Kukulcan, who appeared in the skies as the planet Venus. His appearances were tied to the rains.

Destroying their environment The Maya cut down thousands of trees to burn in ovens to make a special coating for their pyramids. They also cut down rainforests to create more farmland for their growing population. Once the trees were cut down, rain patterns changed and Mayan cities were in more danger from drought. At the height of their civilization, the Maya faced the worst drought in thousands of years. People starved. Within 100 years, the Maya abandoned their wonderful cities and moved back into the rainforests. By the time the Spanish arrived hundreds of years later, the Mayan cities were long abandoned and overgrown. The Mayans were not even able to predict the end of their own civilization, much less the end of the world.

The serpent god When spring constellations appeared in the sky, it looked as if Kukulcan was coiled to strike. Then the Maya offered him sacrifices so he’d send rain. The most valuable thing they had to offer was human blood, so they sacrificed, or killed, people for him. The most prized blood was royal blood. Kings and queens cut themselves, catching the blood on paper and burning it as an offering.

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The city of Uxmal (USH-mal) was founded to store rain during the dry season. The Maya built giant cisterns (SIS-terns), or tanks, to store rainwater. The pyramid there was designed so that during the dry season, the shadows would climb up the pyramid as the days grew longer. In two 20-day months, the sun would shine directly overhead at noon. After that, the rains would come.

The Mini Page thanks Dr. Carolyn Sumners, vice president of astronomy and physics, the Houston Museum of Natural Science, for help with this issue.

Look through your newspaper for stories and pictures about yearly celebrations.

The priests believed Kukulcan was most powerful when he, as Venus, appeared in a certain spot in the spring sky.

Next week, The Mini Page is about A.A. Milne, the author of “Winnie the Pooh.”


Supersport: Jeff SkinnerHeight: 5-11 Birthdate: 5-16-92Weight: 193 Hometown: Markham, Ontario, Canada When watching Carolina Hurricane Jeff Skinner skate, blow by defenders and handle the puck, it’s hard to believe he’s still a teenager. Months away from celebrating his 20th birthday, Skinner is as cool as the ice beneath his feet and flashes the skill of

a veteran. Last year — at age 18 — he became the youngest NHL Rookie of the Year winner and the youngest to play in an All-Star Game. Skinner, playing since age 3, also has a personality to match his talent. Away from hockey, his interests include watching “Friends” and football on TV and listening to country music. But if you put a song to his game, it would have a rock ‘n’ roll beat. And this year the beat goes on with more goals and assists.

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mp02 120114bsht co · the pyramid at chichen itza in mexico was built for the serpent god kukulcan....

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