The Maya
The Maya were once considered one of the greatest civilizations in North America, and possibly the world. They built many pyramids and temples to honor their gods and to preserve their religion. Their lives revolved around their king and sacrifice of his blood. The cultural achievements of the Maya along with the educational achievements came centuries before other cultures. These achievements still exist today along with the Mayan culture, which has spanned over two thousand years. The Mayan people of today still hold these traditions sacred and want to preserve them. Only about two million Mayan Indians exist today, but their culture reflects that of their ancestors, along with the Spanish, who invaded the Maya around the sixteenth century. Archeologists who have dug up and studied many Mayan sites trace the Mayas back ten thousand years when their ancestors migrated from Asia to the Yucatan peninsula and northern Central America. The history of the Maya is divided into three major time periods: preclassic (two thousand BC - AD three hundred), classic (AD three hundred - AD nine hundred), and postclassic (AD nine hundred - AD fifteen hundred). Early Mayan settlements date back to twenty four hundr
The great architecture was only one of the many aspects that made the Maya such an advanced civilization. This era marked the beginning of the post classic period (AD nine hundred - AD fifteen hundred). Many men were sacrificed just to please the gods. The Mayans who studied astronomy believed that several gods, who would make the day favorable or unfavorable, controlled each day. The priests were also the ones who ordered the construction of many temples and buildings. This method was used for centuries and it made farming the basis of the Mayan economy. Only four books survived and today are in museums. Religion even controlled a ball game the Maya played at night. These pyramid-temples contained numerous carved slates that acted as time markers and reign recorders. Many kings gave their own blood because they believed it would help the crop harvest. Concise Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Copyright c 1994 5. On top of that, the Toltec, a warring people took over Mayan cities and made Chichen-Itza their capital. Over one hundred cities existed during this time, and some of the most advanced included: Tikal, Uaxactun, Quirigua, Copan, Palenque, Uxmal, Kabah, Sayil, Labna, Etzna, Old Chichen, and Coba.
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