A stela was a very large stone that had glyphs (writing) on it. Stelas were usually built to celebrate a special festival every 20 years. All the important people or events during the previous 20 years was inscribed or carved on the stone.
A stela might also be made to honor any important person or occasion. They were placed where everyone could see them. Often they were designed with drawings so people could better understand them. Not everyone would know how to read years ago. It was a job only a few people were trained to do.
Spanish explorers burned many of the Mayan written records when they took over this territory. Therefore, the stelas were used to piece together Mayan history. Today, we have monuments or statues to honor people and history too. For example, in Washington D.C. there are many of these items to pay respect to important people in U.S. history.
You will use ONE year in US history to make a stela ("slides") about that year. Each student will research a different year.
Can you "Guess the Year?"
Completing this assignment is for extra credit only.
It will NOT be posted in Google classroom.