Maya civilization

Lore & Background

The Maya civilization developed in the Maya Region, an area that today comprises southeastern Mexico, all of Guatemala and Belize, and the western portions of Honduras and El Salvador. The Preclassic period (c. Hieroglyphic writing was being used in the Maya region by the 3rd century BC.

Reader's Guide

The Maya civilization is significant for its development of the most sophisticated writing system in the pre-Columbian Americas, its complex interlocking ritual calendars, and its early use of the explicit zero in mathematics. Rule centered on the concept of the 'divine king,' who acted as a mediator between mortals and the supernatural realm. The civilization experienced a widespread political collapse in the 9th century, leading to civil wars, abandonment of cities, and a northward shift of population. The Postclassic period saw the rise of Chichen Itza and the Kʼicheʼ kingdom. Today, their descendants number well over 6 million and speak more than twenty-eight surviving Mayan languages.

Did You Know?

• The Maya script is the most sophisticated and highly developed writing system in the pre-Columbian Americas.
• The Maya developed one of the earliest known instances of the explicit zero in human history.
• Only three uncontested examples of Maya screenfold books remain, the rest having been destroyed by the Spanish.
• The term 'Maya' was derived from the city of Mayapán.