Did the Dig - Mayans

Up to 24 lucky students will be digging in Tweksbury, NJ with Archaeological Perspectives May 20 - 24, 2008 and learning about the Mayans. They'll be doing adult stuff in a kid way with professional archaeologist turned educator "Big Dog" Purcell from 9 am each day. 6 & 7 year olds can stop at noon, but older campers stay until ~2 pm Tuesday,Wednesday and Thursday.

Visit his website to read more about Camp Activities. Note: The homeschool camps are Tuesday to Friday, with digging on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and an exhibit and themed pot-luck on Friday. For my comments on a previous experience with him, see Do the Dig: Middle Kingdom China.

We're starting to collect Maya resources and think about what Maya food might be for that Friday potluck!

I expect it will be about $170 for full day and $120 for half day. Non-refundable deposits of $25 deposits per child are being accepted for Tweksbury. For that dig signup form and more details on the Mayans in Tewksbury.

Maya Food

Maize (corn) was the most important crop and a staple of their diet. They also grew sweet potatoes, beans, squash, and yucca and hunted for wild turkey, duck, deer, monkey, and peccary(wild pig) and caught fish. Many living in the Yucatan today have a similar diet.

Only nobility could drink chocolate.

Websites to check:
The Maya Foodtimeline on food and agriculture, Wikipedia on Maya cuisine, and Food of the Maya 300 BC to 900 AD (their only recipe is popcorn!).

Learn more about Corn at Newton's Apple. Video. Ethnobotany Teacher's guide

Recipes online:

• Maya Recipes including tamales, pumpkin soup, ...
• Maya Recipes from FuegoNeuvo Restaurant (salsa, soups, main dishes & a drink)
• Apple Strudel (what kind of apples did they have?)

Friends of Big Dog: Don't forget to sign up for your favorite themed food to bring on Friday of the dig!

Maya Resources

Suggested Periodical Articles

• "The Maya," Kids Discover, 2003.
• "Mexico," Kids Discover, 2005.
• "Maya: How a Great Culture Rose and Fell," National Geographic, August 2007

Books

• expected - do you have any to recommend?
  

Videos to Consider

• Conquistadors - PBS series, 4 shows. Four part series on the discovery of the Americas by the Spanish conquistadors and the subsequent fall of the Aztec and Inca empires. (DVD)
• Maya-related videos online Newton's apple. Each also has a teacher's guide with suggested activities:
  
• Maya Quest on a bike! (associated Science Try-it)
  
• Ethnobotany video(think corn, Science Try-It)
• Jungle
• Inca Engineering
  

Web Sites to Explore

• Explore the MesoAmerican World - With interactive map and timeline showing Maya
• The Maya - Websites about the Maya, including a Mayan Game and folktale
  
• Maya and Inca Webquest - Pointers and information for you to create your own Maya presentation
• Mystery of the Maya - In support of the IMAX film of the same name
• Mayas - small pages of food, agriculture, etc.