The Maya, an introduction

by Dr. Maya Jimenez

Map showing the extent of the Maya civilization (red), compared to all other Mesoamerica
cultures (black). Today, these sites are located in the countries of Mexico, Belize, Honduras and
Guatemala (image: CC BY-SA 3.0)

The Maya are a culturally affiliated people that continue to speak their native languages and still
often use the ancient 260-day ritual calendar for religious practices. The ancient Maya were
united by belief systems, cultural practices that included a distinct architectural style, and a
writing system. They were also joined by political interaction in the form of warfare and
intermarriage. They left an artistic legacy that ranges from intricately carved monolithic
sculptures to complex mural cycles. The ancient Maya are credited with creating the most
advanced Mesoamerican writing system, which was logo-syllabic, meaning that it consists of
pictorial symbols or glyphs (images) that represent either sounds or syllables. It is the only pre-
Hispanic writing system of Mesoamerica that has been largely deciphered (see image below).
Vessel, Mythological Scene, 7th-8th century, Guatemala, Mesoamerica, Maya, ceramic, 14 x
11.4 cm (The Metropolitan Museum of Art)

The Maya are also known for their advanced understanding of time, which they acquired through
their study of astronomy and which allowed for the development of a complex calendar.

Public inscriptions—which decorated temples and palaces—have also contributed to our

knowledge of the Maya, providing archeologists with important dates, names, and ritual
information.

Periods in Maya history

Historians divide Maya history into three periods:

Pre-Classic: 1000 B.C.E.-250 C.E. Classic: 250-900 C.E. Post-Classic: 900-1521 C.E.

The Classic Period is divided into Early Classic: 250-550 C.E. and Late Classic: 600-900 C.E.
During the early Classic Period, the Maya had built only a few cities in Mesoamerica. By the
Late Classic Period however, the population had grown and Maya cities had been founded
throughout the region. Important Maya cities include Tikal in the east (in what is today
Guatemala), Palenque in the west (what is today Mexico), and Copán in the south (in what is
today Honduras).
Glyphs from Lintel 25, c. 725, Structure 23, Yaxchilán, Classic Maya, limestone, 121 x 85.5 x
13.5 cm (The British Museum)

City States, ruled independently

With a population ranging in the millions and scattered throughout a vast region, the Maya were
organized into small independent kingdoms or, more accurately, into city states. Each city state
was ruled by a divine lord or ajaw/ahau who controlled territory around the capital city and
frequently fought with neighboring states for preeminence. Political and economic rivalries
among the Maya lords were fueled by an interest in acquiring territory and controlling trade
routes—activities made more complicated by the remoteness of many Maya cities as well as
their diverse geographies (Maya cities could be found in lowland rainforests and mountainous
highlands). Different from the later Aztec, who centralized power and created a true empire,
Maya power remained de-centralized and was spread throughout numerous kingdoms.

The collapse of Maya cities in the tenth century is not fully understood but may have resulted
from complex factors including climate change (and resulting drought and crop failures),
overpopulation, and political unrest. Following this collapse, Maya civilization continued on the
northern tip of the Yucatán Peninsula, where Chichen Itza emerged as an important city of the
Post-Classic Period. Though the city was abandoned by the thirteenth century, it was the arrival
of Hernan Cortés and his Spanish fleet in the early 16th century that marked the end of the Maya
civilization.