Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian

Maya Math Game

SIHOM

Level 1

Challenge 1

Maalob k’in, I am Sihom. Thanks for picking me. We are going to have a great time doing Maya math together. Let’s get started.
Every time you complete a challenge I will give a new clue that will help you figure out what my job is and why knowing Maya math is important to my success. After you complete the 5th challenge, I will reveal my identity. Good Luck! Below is the first clue to get you started.

CLUE #1: Every morning when I get up I look for the planet Venus, the morning star. I count how many of my hands fit between the horizon and Venus to tell me when the Sun will rise. This lets me know when to drink tza’, my breakfast of corn gruel.

Problem + =
RAWAnswer
FINALAnswer

DIRECTIONS: Drag the correct symbol(s) from the gold boxes into the white boxes to match the number. Then complete the reduction for the final answer. Drag new symbol to replace a value, or click symbol to remove.

BASE 20
400's
20's
1's
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You are are correct
GREAT JOB!

Click this box to close and continue to the next challenge.

Your answer is incorrect.

TRY AGAIN or
CLUE #2: Today, I spent the morning using corn seeds, sticks and shells to calculate the size of the workspace I need for the season.
CLUE #3: Today, my son came to work with me, but he was so distracting. I was trying to count while he wanted to play hide-and-seek among the rows.
CLUE #4: My occupation requires me to build a troje or storage bin in English. The troje cannot be too big or too small. I use Maya math to help me determine the size of the bin based on the size of my workspace.
CLUE #5: My wife just told me her shopping list and now I must calculate how much I need to sell in order to get everything she asked. Hopefully, I will have some left over to bring back chocolate to my family.
LEVEL 2: Wow, that was pretty fast. Are you an expert at Maya math or just have beginner’s luck? Well, below are your next challenge and clue. Good Luck!
LEVEL 3: You are doing great. I am sure Itzamna is smiling down at you. Let’s keep going, you are halfway there.
LEVEL 4: You are getting close. Do you have any guesses yet on the type of work I do? You do? Well, keep going to see if your answer is correct.
LEVEL 5: You are on the home stretch and at the final challenge. I know you can solve the problem. The final clue is below. Good luck! I will see you at the GREAT REVEAL.