THE MAYAN
CIVILIZATION
The Maya is a Mesoamerican civilization, noted for the only
known fully developed written language of the pre-Columbian Americas,
as well as for its art, architecture, and mathematical
and astronomical systems. Initially established during the Pre-Classic
period (c. 2000 BC to AD 250), according to the Mesoamerican
chronology, many Maya cities reached their highest state of
development during the Classic period (c. AD 250 to 900), and
continued throughout the Post-Classic period until thearrival of the
Spanish.
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 in Honduras, Belize, Guatemala, and western El Salvador to as far away as
central Mexico, more than 1,000 km
(620 mi) from the central Maya area. The
many outside influences found in Maya art and architecture are thought to
have resulted from trade and cultural exchange rather than direct
external conquest.
The Maya peoples survived
the Classic period collapse and the arrival of
the Spanish conquistadores and
sixteenth-century Spanish
colonization of the Americas. Today, the Maya and their
descendants form sizable populations throughout the Maya area; they
maintain a distinctive set of traditions and beliefs resulting from
the merger of pre-Columbian and post-Conquest ideas and cultures.
Millions of people speak Mayan languages today. In
2005 the Rabinal
Achí, a play written in the Achi language, was declared
a Masterpiece of the Oral
and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.
In Guatemala
there are more than 55 arqueological sites, the most of it are located
in the north part of Guatemala
(Petén), Its
fascinating archeological sites are surrounded by jungle. One of such
sites is Tikal, which was declared Cultural Heritage of Humanity Site
by UNESCO in 1979. Besides, there may be found Yaxhá, Ceibal,
Aguateca, San Bartolo and El Mirador where the biggest pyramid, for
the size of its base, of the Mayan world is found. Another interesting
site is Uaxactún that had an astrologic observatory in one of
the most important buildings of the area. These places were the
scenery of the Mayan culture development.
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