Maya

__History__ The earliest Mayan settlments date around 1800 BC and were growing crops like beans, corn, and squash. About 300 BC farmers began to expand to both the highlands and the lowlands. This time period also saw the rise of the Olmec civilization. Like many other ancient Central American civilizations the Mayans inherited many cultural and religious traits from the Olmecs. The early Mayans also displayed advance culture like pyramid building and city construction.

__The Classic Mayans__ The Classic Period began about 250 AD and was the Golden Age of the Mayans. The empire had grown to about 40 cities each with anywhere from 5,000 to 50,000 citizens. The Mayans were very religious people and worshipped various gods related to nature. At the top of Mayan society were the kings who claimed to be related to the gods. They were thought to be mediators between the gods and the people on Earth. They preformed the most important of the ceremonies and religious rituals. The Classical Mayans built many of their Temples and Palaces in the shape of a step pyramid and decorated them with eloborate pictures. The Mayans also made advancements in technology, mathematics, and astronomy. This includes the use of zero and the development of a 365 day calendar. Early research suggests that the Mayans were peaceful scribes and preists, later evidence like examination of artwork on pots and temple walls shows a less peacful side to the Mayans. This includes wars between rival city-states and how important Human sacrifice and torture was to their relgious procedures

__The Rather Mysterious Decline of the Mayan Civilization__ Around the ninth Century AD something happened to the Mayans. One by one the lowland cities were abandoned and Mayan civilization in that area collapsed. Some think that Mayans had exausted their resources enough so that they couldn't sustain the large populations. Others believe constant warfare between the city-states caused the complex military to break down, as well as the system of dynastic power. as the stature of the kings diminished their complex religious rituals dissolved into chaos. Some others believe that some catastrophic climate change like a long drought may have destroyed the Classical Mayans. Cities like Tikal where rainwater is very important would have been even more effected. Or perhaps all three of these factors aided each other in the downfall of the lowland cities. In the highlands a few cities continued to flourish. However by the time the Spanish invaders arrived many of the Mayans were living in villages with their once great cities buried under the raiforest.