the Maya they’re considered one of the
most advanced civilizations to have
existed in the Americas before the
Spanish conquest but who exactly were
the ancient Maya people and what led to
the collapse of their civilization as
early as 1800 BC the Maya had began
settling and established villages in
what is today Mexico and Central America
Maya civilization peaked from 250 to 900
AD during what archaeologists call the
classic period more than 40 cities
flourished throughout the region with
populations as large as 50,000 the Maya
built magnificent urban centers
consisting of stone structures including
pyramid temples that were central to
Maya religious practices in addition to
these impressive city structures
agriculture played a key role in Maya
civilization corn was one of the
predominant crops the Mayan creation
story tells of nature gods the basis of
Mayan religion who created humans out of
yellow and white corn the Maya also made
significant advancements in mathematics
and astronomy they invented the concept
of zero and they developed an accurate
calendar system used to guide the Maya
agricultural cycles the calendar was
based on observations of the Sun
sky over thousands of years the Maya
also developed the only known system of
writing in Mesoamerica hieroglyphs in
fact much what we know about ancient
Maya civilization comes from deciphering
hieroglyphic characters inscribed in
pottery stone slabs and other ruins
discovered at ancient sites hieroglyphs
have revealed that despite the Mayas
ingenuity and agrarian lifestyle
conflict was prevalent among some Maya
city-states as they battled for control
of the region throughout much of the
classic period the city-state of Tikal
located in modern-day Guatemala reigned
as the closest thing to an empire in
Maya history but for a period of roughly
130 years the Tikal people were
overtaken through force and diplomacy by
the connell a rival kingdom toward the
end of the classic period around 900 AD
most Maya cities had collapsed among the
theories are warfare a volcanic eruption
and perhaps most likely drought
however archeologists still debate why
despite the decline of ancient Maya
civilization the Maya people have by no
means disappeared more than 7 million
Maya are estimated to be alive today in
their indigenous homelands and around
the world
while they participate in modern global
life they continue to follow
agricultural and ceremonial practices of their ancestors
most advanced civilizations to have
existed in the Americas before the
Spanish conquest but who exactly were
the ancient Maya people and what led to
the collapse of their civilization as
early as 1800 BC the Maya had began
settling and established villages in
what is today Mexico and Central America
Maya civilization peaked from 250 to 900
AD during what archaeologists call the
classic period more than 40 cities
flourished throughout the region with
populations as large as 50,000 the Maya
built magnificent urban centers
consisting of stone structures including
pyramid temples that were central to
Maya religious practices in addition to
these impressive city structures
agriculture played a key role in Maya
civilization corn was one of the
predominant crops the Mayan creation
story tells of nature gods the basis of
Mayan religion who created humans out of
yellow and white corn the Maya also made
significant advancements in mathematics
and astronomy they invented the concept
of zero and they developed an accurate
calendar system used to guide the Maya
agricultural cycles the calendar was
based on observations of the Sun
sky over thousands of years the Maya
also developed the only known system of
writing in Mesoamerica hieroglyphs in
fact much what we know about ancient
Maya civilization comes from deciphering
hieroglyphic characters inscribed in
pottery stone slabs and other ruins
discovered at ancient sites hieroglyphs
have revealed that despite the Mayas
ingenuity and agrarian lifestyle
conflict was prevalent among some Maya
city-states as they battled for control
of the region throughout much of the
classic period the city-state of Tikal
located in modern-day Guatemala reigned
as the closest thing to an empire in
Maya history but for a period of roughly
130 years the Tikal people were
overtaken through force and diplomacy by
the connell a rival kingdom toward the
end of the classic period around 900 AD
most Maya cities had collapsed among the
theories are warfare a volcanic eruption
and perhaps most likely drought
however archeologists still debate why
despite the decline of ancient Maya
civilization the Maya people have by no
means disappeared more than 7 million
Maya are estimated to be alive today in
their indigenous homelands and around
the world
while they participate in modern global
life they continue to follow
agricultural and ceremonial practices of their ancestors
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