LEARN NC

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The Changing Face of Mexico

4.2 Activities for the Equinox at Chicén Itzá

Provided by UNC Institute for the Study of the Americas

Art project

Create a painting or mural of a scene involving a reconstruction of an ancient Mesoamerican city. You could try your hand at scientific or architectural drawing, or a work of art, sculpture, jewelry making, or mosaic informed by what you have learned. You could try to reproduce an object that you have researched or seen pictures of such as the jade death mask from the ancient city of Palenque, a headress, necklace or ornament, or a completely original work. Demonstrate your work to your colleagues and explain its significance.

Hacky-sack version of Pok-a-tok

The Maya ritual ballgame required players to wear heavy pads to propel the solid rubber ball. The pads can be dispensed with, and the reduced bounce of a non-inflated ball replicated with a common hacky-sack. Rather than kick a hacky sack around a circle with your friends, divide into teams and have a mid-way marker between them. You can use any body part: feet, knees, elbows, shoulders, except your hands (just like soccer). If the sack hits the ground, it becomes the other teams’ turn. Score five points every time the hacky-sack crosses the center line. The first team to score 25 wins. You could also have some sort of hoop to kick the hacky sack through, in which case play immediately ceases and the scoring team wins.