04 The Maya

THE MAYA

玛雅人

Jungles and volcanoes The Maya are people who have lived in Mexico and Central America for thousands of years. Long ago, they built their homes in jungles and in valleys between steep volcanoes. The jungles were full of animals such as monkeys and jaguars,

丛林和火山玛雅人在墨西哥和中美洲生活了数千年。 很久以前，他们在丛林和陡峭火山之间的山谷中建造家园。 丛林里到处都是动物，比如猴子和美洲虎，

Stone cities This is what a Maya city might have looked like around 1,500 years ago. Nobles and rulers lived in palaces. Markets were held in open spaces called plazas: Most people lived in huts with grass roofs.

这是大约1500年前玛雅城市的样子。 贵族和统治者住在宫殿里。 市场在被称为广场的空地上举行：大多数人住在草皮屋顶的小屋里。

Maya temples Special courts were built for playing a ball game. The players hit a rubber ball to and fro using only their hips and thighs.

玛雅神庙为球类运动建造了专门的场地。 运动员们只用臀部和大腿来回击打一个橡皮球。

Towering temples Maya temples were built to look like the steep mountains where their gods lived. This ancient temple is in the city of Tikal It was once brightly painted.

玛雅人建造的庙宇看起来就像他们的神居住的陡峭山脉。 这座古老的寺庙位于蒂卡尔市，它曾经被涂得很鲜艳。

Ceremonies were held on a platform at the top of the temple. Priests had to climb up lots of narrow steps. Some rulers were buried deep inside temples. Temples were often built to line up with the Sun or stars.

仪式在寺庙顶部的平台上举行。 牧师们必须爬上许多狭窄的台阶。 一些统治者被深埋在寺庙里。 寺庙的建造通常与太阳或星星排成一条直线。