The Maya culture is located in Central America in the countries of El Salvador, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, and the southern tip of Mexico. The culture dates back to 1800 B.C. which is also called the pre-classic period. The Mayan people were farmers who grew mostly corn, beans, and squash. In 300 B.C. the Mayan culture began to grow. They derived in number of religious and cultural traits, a number system, and most famously their calendar. All of these were influenced by a different Meso American civilization called the Olmec.
In addition to farming, they focused their attention on building pyramids, cities, and stone monuments. The classic period began in 250 A.D. and was the golden age of the Mayan Empire. At this point, there were forty Mayan cities, each with a population ranging from 5,000 to 50,000. This brought the totally Mayan population to two million.
The Maya people were very religious and polytheistic. They had gods of sun, rain, moon, and corn. The kings in Mayan culture were called kuhul ajaw and were thought to be holy. There thought to serve as mediators between the gods and the people on earth. They were also the ones who preformed the religious rituals. Their religious rituals lead them to advances in mathematics and astronomy. They developed the number zero, as well as inventing a calendar based on 365 days.
From the late eighth century to the end of the ninth century Mayan cities began to disappear. No one knows why, but scholars have developed some theories. The first theory is that the Mayan people had exhausted their environmental resources. The other is that constant warfare between rival Mayan city - states. The last theory of why the Mayan people disappeared is because of extreme drought.
To learn more, you can check out this website: http://www.history.com/topics/maya
In addition to farming, they focused their attention on building pyramids, cities, and stone monuments. The classic period began in 250 A.D. and was the golden age of the Mayan Empire. At this point, there were forty Mayan cities, each with a population ranging from 5,000 to 50,000. This brought the totally Mayan population to two million.
The Maya people were very religious and polytheistic. They had gods of sun, rain, moon, and corn. The kings in Mayan culture were called kuhul ajaw and were thought to be holy. There thought to serve as mediators between the gods and the people on earth. They were also the ones who preformed the religious rituals. Their religious rituals lead them to advances in mathematics and astronomy. They developed the number zero, as well as inventing a calendar based on 365 days.
From the late eighth century to the end of the ninth century Mayan cities began to disappear. No one knows why, but scholars have developed some theories. The first theory is that the Mayan people had exhausted their environmental resources. The other is that constant warfare between rival Mayan city - states. The last theory of why the Mayan people disappeared is because of extreme drought.
To learn more, you can check out this website: http://www.history.com/topics/maya