Maya

The Maya (MAH-yuh or MEYE-uh) civilization existed in Central America on the Yucatan peninsula between from A.D. 300 to 900. Its population totaled 5-16 million people.

The Mayans have been called the "Greeks of the New World" by many historians. The Mayans had some knowledge of mathematics, astronomy, ritual ball games for entertainment, and the use of their own pictographic language. Unlike Europeans at the time, Mayans did understand the concept of zero just as the Indians in South Asia did.

The Mayans used a yearly solar calendar that was quite precise, using 18 months and 20 days per month, which has almost the same number of days as our 365-day calendar. The Mayans also built temples looking very similar to the ziggurats used in Mesopotamia, puzzling many historians. The Mayans constructed a spectacular capital at Tikal and a worship center at Chichen Itza featuring the ziggurats. For food, the Mayans grew maize (corn), squash and beans. They also traded in stones, salt, honey and shells. Like American Indians the Mayans had no coins or paper money, but sometimes traded in cacao (chocolate) beans. Unlike the American Indians, the Mayans used a written language based on symbols or "glyphs", as in hieroglyphics.

The Mayan religion was polytheistic and Mayans "appeased the gods" by sacrificing children to the gods. The Mayans believed in creation as explained in their religious text named the "Popol Vuh," and the Mayans hoped that a god named Quetzalcoatl would return to rule in peace. Wealthy women enjoyed some rights in the society and most women stayed in the home to raise children.

The reason for the decline of the Mayan civilization is unknown. Mayan cities were abruptly abandoned in the 800s and by the mid-900s the civilization was just a shadow of its former self. It disintegrated into independent towns, or city-states. But today 4 million people still speak the Mayan language.