For hundreds of years before the Spanish arrived in Mexico and Central America, the Maya possessed one of the greatest civilizations of the Western Hemisphere. The Mayan civilization was at its height between about AD 250 and 900 and then began a rapid decline. The reasons for this decline are still unclear.
Mayan artists created beautiful sculptures and carvings. Scenes of Mayan history and religious activities are carved into the walls of buildings in their cities and in such places as staircases and religious altars. Histories of kings were often carved into stelae, which are tall, narrow spires shaped like the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C. Mayan artists also painted large murals that portrayed historical and religious events.
The Maya built cities with temples, stone pyramids, palaces, and ball courts. By 900 they had more than 40 cities, with populations between 5,000 and 50,000. The cities were governed by ruling families, and they often waged war on one another. Some of the most important cities were Tikal, Palenque, Copán, and Bonampak, all found in today's southern Mexico and Guatemala.
The Maya's main crops were beans, squash, and, most importantly, corn (maize). The most common way they acquired farmland was by cutting down the rain forests in an area and then setting fires to burn away any wild plants. The land was then prepared for crops. This technique is called slash-and-burn agriculture. Working only about 200 days a year, Mayan farmers could feed their people year-round.
To the Maya, science and religion were linked. Their priests were astronomers, who studied the planets and the stars. On the basis of their observations, they created an extremely accurate calendar. Much of Mayan religion was tied to particular dates, which made the calendar's accuracy important. Using it, the Maya could even predict eclipses and other astronomical events.
The Maya created a system of mathematics as they developed their astronomical system. In their mathematical system, they included the idea of zero. They were one of the first civilizations in the world to develop this important concept.
The Maya also created a complex writing system based on hieroglyphics (picture writing). The hieroglyphs were carved into walls to celebrate great victories and describe religious ceremonies. Scholars spent many years trying to read Mayan writing. By the end of the 20th century they had succeeded, and the writing told them much about the Maya.
People who were captured during battle were later tortured and murdered in religious ceremonies. The Maya believed such sacrifices were the only way to be sure that the gods would keep the world in order. Because the gods' demand for blood was so great, most Maya, including rulers, would shed their own blood to please them.
By about 1500 BC the Maya were living in settled villages and growing much of their food. By AD 200 they had built great cities. The time considered to be the classic period of Mayan culture lasted from about AD 250 until about 900. After 900 the Mayan population began to decrease very quickly. Many of the cities were abandoned and were soon covered by the fast-growing vegetation of the tropics. The reason for the Maya's decline is not clear. One theory is that they were destroyed by warfare. Another theory is that their population became so large that they could no longer grow enough food to feed themselves. Although the cities were abandoned, however, many of the people survived.
In the early 16th century the Spanish arrived in the Maya's territory. The Maya who had survived were living in small villages for the most part. Many Maya died from European diseases that the Spanish brought with them. The survivors were often forced to work for Spaniards, who tried to suppress the Maya's native religion by burning many of their sacred books.
Today, more than 2 million Maya Indians live in Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize. They continue to grow most of their own food and live in communities built around a central village. While most are Roman Catholic, they still worship some Mayan gods, whom they associate with specific Catholic saints.
