The Maya is a Mesoamerican civilization, noted for the only known fully developed written language of the pre-Columbian Americas, as well as its art, architecture, and mathematical and astronomical systems. Initially established during the Preclassic period (c. 2000 BC to 250 AD), many Maya cities reached their highest state development during the Classic period (c. 250 AD to 900 AD), and continued throughout the Postclassic period until the arrival of the Spanish. At its peak, it was one of the most densely populated and culturally dynamic societies in the world.
The Maya civilization shares many features with other Mesoamerican civilizations due to the high degree of interaction and cultural diffusion that characterized the region. Advances such as writing, epigraphy, and the calendar did not originate with the Maya; however, their civilization fully developed them. Maya influence can be detected from Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador and to as far as central Mexico, more than 1000 km (625 miles) from the Maya area. Many outside influences are found in Maya art and architecture, which are thought to result from trade and cultural exchange rather than direct external conquest. The Maya peoples never disappeared, neither at the time of the Classic period decline nor with the arrival of the Spanish conquistadores and the subsequent Spanish colonization of the Americas. Today, the Maya and their descendants form sizable populations throughout the Maya area and maintain a distinctive set of traditions and beliefs that are the result of the merger of pre-Columbian and post-Conquest ideologies (and structured by the almost total adoption of Roman Catholicism). Many Mayan languages continue to be spoken as primary languages today; the Rabinal AchÃ, a play written in the Achi’ language, was declared a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2005.
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Geographical extent – Extent of the Maya civilization
History
– Preclassic
– Classic – The ruins of Palenque.
– The Maya collapse
– Postclassic period
– Colonial period
Political structures
Maya architecture
– Urban design
– North Acropolis, Tikal, Guatemala
– Building materials
– Art – Maya art – A stucco relief from Palenque depicting Upakal K’inich
– Notable constructions
– Temple of the Cross at Palenque; note the intricate roof comb and corbeled arch
Writing and literacy
– Maya Script
– Writing tools
– Scribes and literacy
Mathematics , Maya numerals
The Mayan Literature
The Mayan Prophecies
Astronomy
Religion, Maya religion
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