Classic Maya Culture

Classic Maya culture developed in three regions in Mesoamerica, especially the central region" of southern Guatemala. The principal city in this region was Tikal, but the spread of urbanization extended south to Honduras; the southernmost Mayan city was Copan in northern Honduras. The largest and most complete urban center was Palenque. The other major region of Mayan development was the Yucatan peninsula making up the southern and eastern portions of modern-day Mexico. After the abandonment of the Classic Mayan cities, the Yucatán peninsula became the principal region of a new, synthetic culture called Toltec-Mayan which was formed when Toltecs migrating from the north integrated with indigenous Maya peoples.
Like the Indian culture, Maya culture
The Mayan golden age lasted five centuries from 300 to 800 AD. Then, they stopped building temples, declined and became fragmented in competing states that were easy prey for invading forces from the north such as the Toltec which had been expelled from Tula around the end of the 10th century. The Toltecs became the ruling elite of the Maya in the post classic period. Toltec gods were added to the Maya pantheon but the Toltecs were absorbed as they leaned to speak Yucatec Maya. For unknown reasons the Mayas, abandoned their cities around 900 AD.
Thus the Maya culture and art reached their peak between 625 and 800 in such areas as the calendar, astronomy, architecture, sculpture and pottery; numerous cities and ceremonial centers were founded. All this splendor came to an end between 800 and 925 A.D. for reasons as yet undetermined, although possible ones are the exhaustion of agricultural land, changes in climate and a rebellion of the lower classes against their rulers. Maya culture slipped into decline; both cities and ceremonial centers were practically abandoned and in time covered by