The Mayan Indians of Mexico
The Mayan Indians of Mexico
To begin with there is conflicting evidence as to when the Mayan Indians developed in the Mexico area. One source states that they originated in the Yucatan around 2600 B.C., rising to prominence around A.D. 250 present-day southern Mexico, Guatemala, western Honduras, El Salvador and northern Belize (http://lost-civilizations.net). Another source states that the earliest evidence of people in Central America dates to the time of the retreat of the Pleistocene glacier, the first traces of ancient Maya culture (as indicated by the first appearance of pottery) are from much later. The earliest inhabitants of the Maya area used stone tools to hunt ice age animals during the Paleo-Indian period, which began about 9500 B.C. The stages of Maya civilization were the Archaic Period from 8000 B.C. – 2000 B.C.; Pre Classic Period 2000 B.C. – A.D. 200; Classic Period 200 A.D. – A.D. 900; Post Classic Period A.D. 900 – A.D. 1500s.
It was during the Classic Period that the Maya people built beautiful cities and temples, palaces, pyramids, and plazas. Religious ceremonies, feasts, affairs of government, and commerce drew thousands of outlying residents to the city centers. There were more than fifty independent city-states on the Yucatan Peninsula during the Classic period.
Around A.D. 900 the great civilization began to fall. The Maya stopped building sacred structures and abandoned their cities altogether. In my research I have found that several resources differ on the exact reason for this, however several do agree that something dire and dramatic had indeed happened to promote the collapse of this civilization. Other experts think this could have resulted from overpopulation, war, or environmental damage such as earthquake or hurricane. They may have migrated northward in search for better farmland as well. A number of scientist specializing in the reconstruction of ancient vegetation and climate have reported significant
To begin with there is conflicting evidence as to when the Mayan Indians developed in the Mexico area. One source states that they originated in the Yucatan around 2600 B.C., rising to prominence around A.D. 250 present-day southern Mexico, Guatemala, western Honduras, El Salvador and northern Belize (http://lost-civilizations.net). Another source states that the earliest evidence of people in Central America dates to the time of the retreat of the Pleistocene glacier, the first traces of ancient Maya culture (as indicated by the first appearance of pottery) are from much later. The earliest inhabitants of the Maya area used stone tools to hunt ice age animals during the Paleo-Indian period, which began about 9500 B.C. The stages of Maya civilization were the Archaic Period from 8000 B.C. – 2000 B.C.; Pre Classic Period 2000 B.C. – A.D. 200; Classic Period 200 A.D. – A.D. 900; Post Classic Period A.D. 900 – A.D. 1500s.
It was during the Classic Period that the Maya people built beautiful cities and temples, palaces, pyramids, and plazas. Religious ceremonies, feasts, affairs of government, and commerce drew thousands of outlying residents to the city centers. There were more than fifty independent city-states on the Yucatan Peninsula during the Classic period.
Around A.D. 900 the great civilization began to fall. The Maya stopped building sacred structures and abandoned their cities altogether. In my research I have found that several resources differ on the exact reason for this, however several do agree that something dire and dramatic had indeed happened to promote the collapse of this civilization. Other experts think this could have resulted from overpopulation, war, or environmental damage such as earthquake or hurricane. They may have migrated northward in search for better farmland as well. A number of scientist specializing in the reconstruction of ancient vegetation and climate have reported significant
References: Authentic Maya Retrieved September 18, 2010 from http://www.authenticmaya.com/maya_culture.htm Hammond, Norman. 1982. Ancient Maya Civilization. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press. Maya History Retrieved September 18, 2010 from http://www.lost-civilizations.net McKillop, Heather (2004) Montgomery, John (2002) How to Read Maya Hieroglyphs. New York: Hippocrene Books, Inc. Perl, Lila. (2005). The Ancient Maya. New York: Franklin Watts. Webster, David (2002) The Fall Of The Ancient Maya: Solving the Mystery of the Maya Collapse: New York: Thames & Hudson Ltd.