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Maya Civilisation Topic

Mayans

Maya Topic Booklist

The Maya civilisation topic offers a wealth of interesting history to explore – from impressive pyramids and cities to complex calendars and a rich cultural heritage still prevalent in Central America today. We’ve picked out some of the best books about the Maya suitable for primary school children looking to explore the topic.

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Johnny Pearce
 & Andy Loneragan
Chapter book

An exciting action-packed thriller based on the excavation of a newly found Maya city, best suited to Year 6 or beyond. The tale follows twin twelve-year-olds Verity and Ethan, who travel to Guatemala with their father. Whilst excavating a Maya site, an ancient mask is discovered. Is the mask the cause of the end of the Maya civilisation, or is something more underhand going on?

J&P Voelkel
Chapter book

An action-packed and thoroughly researched adventure novel filled with suspense and excitement, with a good level of depth for upper KS2. This book, which is the first in a popular series, tells the story of fourteen-year-old Max, who finds himself on a quest to rescue his archaeologist parents from the Maya underworld and to save the world from the Lords of Death.
You can also sign up for a virtual school visit from the authors.

Nick Hunter
Non-fiction
This book explores what life was really like for everyday people in the Maya Civilization. Using primary sources and information from archeological discoveries, it uncovers some fascinating insights and explodes some myths. Supported by timelines, maps and references to important events and people, children will really feel they are on a time-travelling journey when reading this book.
DK
Non-fiction
Find out about the incredible ancient civilizations of the Americas, right up until the Spanish conquest. Discover the monumental pyramids and mountain cities of the Maya, Inca, and Aztec people. Explore the sites of Chichen Itza, Machu Picchu, and Tenochtitlan, learn the pictures of the Mayan language, unearth the history of chocolate, and find out how naughty children were punished with chillis! Peer into the past with amazing illustrations, see some of the most impressive ancient structures in the world, and stock up on facts to amaze your friends with. Packed with information, artefacts, and colourful illustrations, DKfindout! Maya, Incas, and Aztecs brings their worlds to life.
Jon Richards
Non-fiction
History in Infographics helps children to visualise facts and statistics using a clever and appealing mix of graphics and numbers. The colourful, high-impact design will appeal to a wide range of children, from visual learners to struggling readers, capturing and then holding their attention. Infographics are a really exciting, different way to learn about core historical topics, and are ideal for fact-hungry children, revision work, and to improve the quality of presentations. History in Infographics: The Maya allows children to explore the Maya civilisation like never before, finding out how people lived, what they ate, what they wore, how they were ruled, the games they played and how the civilisation died out. Children can discover that the Maya were the first people to make hot chocolate, and how they did it, that they went to war to capture prisoners they then sacrificed to their gods, and all about other South American civilisations, including the Aztecs and the Incas. Ideal for children of 9+, and fact and history lovers of all ages, the Maya have never seemed more exciting!

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