Mayans
Pre-Columbian pyramid builders
The Mayan people are an indigenous group of southern Mexico and Central America, descendants of the civilization that flourished from roughly 2000 BCE to 1500 CE.
Their ancestors built pyramids, developed sophisticated mathematics and astronomy, and created the only fully developed writing system in pre-Columbian Americas.
Millions of Maya still live in Guatemala, Mexico, Belize, and Honduras, maintaining distinct languages and traditions.
The singular is Maya or Mayan; purists prefer Maya as both singular and plural, but Mayans is common.
Collective social practices
- societyOrganized communal human existence
- heritageInherited cultural legacy
- traditionsLong-established customs passed down
- customsTraditional practices or import taxes
city-states · agriculture · trade · maize · cacao · jade · obsidian · pottery
Date-tracking system
- Long CountMesoamerican calendrical system
- VenusLove goddess, or planet
- eclipsesAstronomical occultations
- equinoxSun crosses celestial midline
solstice · skywatchers · celestial · cycles · predictions · zenith · planetary · star lore
Carved symbolic figures
- hieroglyphicsSymbolic picture-based writing
- codicesBound handwritten volumes
- inscriptionsWords carved into surfaces
- logogramsSymbols representing words
syllabary · script · epigraphy · decipherment · Dresden Codex · carvings · scribes · phonetic
Pre-Columbian archaeological site
- TikalMaya archaeological site
- ruinsDecayed structural remains
- excavationAct of unearthing
- artifactsHuman-made historical objects
stelae · cenote · tomb · burial · jade mask · murals · restoration · discovery
Aztec feathered serpent god
- underworldRealm of the departed
- sacrificeGiving up something precious
- bloodlettingTherapeutic withdrawal of fluid
- ritualsCeremonial repeated practices
ceremonies · offerings · incense · cosmology · creation myth · world tree · jaguar · feathered serpent
Those who come after
- GuatemalaCentral American republic
- YucatanSoutheastern Mexican peninsula
- BelizeCentral American coastal nation
- ChiapasSoutheastern Mexican state
language preservation · Day of the Dead · traditional medicine · revival
Apex-topped geometric solids
- templesHoly places or head sides
- step pyramidsTiered monumental structures
- plazasPublic open squares
- palacesGrand royal residences
observatories · limestone · stucco · terraces · acropolis · altars · causeways · reservoirs
culture
Collective social practices
- societyOrganized communal human existence
- heritageInherited cultural legacy
- traditionsLong-established customs passed down
customs · city-states · agriculture · trade · maize · cacao · jade · obsidian · pottery · textiles
calendar
Date-tracking system
- Long CountMesoamerican calendrical system
- VenusLove goddess, or planet
- eclipsesAstronomical occultations
equinox · solstice · skywatchers · celestial · cycles · predictions · zenith · planetary · star lore · horizon
glyphs
Carved symbolic figures
- hieroglyphicsSymbolic picture-based writing
- codicesBound handwritten volumes
- inscriptionsWords carved into surfaces
logograms · syllabary · script · epigraphy · decipherment · Dresden Codex · carvings · scribes · phonetic · stele
Chichen Itza
Pre-Columbian archaeological site
- TikalMaya archaeological site
- ruinsDecayed structural remains
- excavationAct of unearthing
artifacts · stelae · cenote · tomb · burial · jade mask · murals · restoration · discovery · jungle
Quetzalcoatl
Aztec feathered serpent god
- underworldRealm of the departed
- sacrificeGiving up something precious
- bloodlettingTherapeutic withdrawal of fluid
rituals · ceremonies · offerings · incense · cosmology · creation myth · world tree · jaguar · feathered serpent
descendants
Those who come after
- GuatemalaCentral American republic
- YucatanSoutheastern Mexican peninsula
- BelizeCentral American coastal nation
Chiapas · language preservation · Day of the Dead · traditional medicine · revival
pyramids
Apex-topped geometric solids
- templesHoly places or head sides
- step pyramidsTiered monumental structures
- plazasPublic open squares
palaces · observatories · limestone · stucco · terraces · acropolis · altars · causeways · reservoirs
- Americas HistoryAmerican Revolution, Aztec Empire, colonial era, colonization, Columbus
- historical peoplesAztecs, Babylonians, Celts, Egyptians, Gauls
- Lost CivilizationsAtlantis, Pompeii, Troy, Babylon, Mycenae
- historyancient civilizations, past events, historian, epochs, era
- civilizationempires, empire, civilizations, dynasty, kingdoms
- Latin AmericaArgentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Cuba
- Mayan ruinsAncient civilization's architectural remains
- Maya Angelou
- Maya civilizationAncient Mesoamerican culture
- Maya Rudolph
- Maya ruinsAncient civilization's remains
- Mayan calendarMesoamerican astronomical dating system