The Genius of the Maya

The Genius of the Maya book cover — the The Benims of MAYA INNOVATIONS FROM PAST CIVILIZATIONS BRE IZZI HOWELL CRABTREE PUBLISHING COMPANY WWW.CRABTREEBOOKS.COM

The Genius of the Maya — page 1 — THE Maya Who The Maya were a large group of people who lived in southern Mexico and Central America for approximately one thousand years The Maya civilization reached its height between 250 C E and 900 C E during a time in history known as the Classic Period The Maya territory was divided into city-states that each had their own ruler However people in all the city-states shared a common language culture and religion This map shows the location of some of the most important Maya cities across southern Mexico and Central America 4

The Genius of the Maya — page 2 — What happened Around 900 the Maya civilization began to decline in many southern areas Experts aren’t sure why but it may have been due to crop failure loss of fertile land or disease In the 1500s Spanish invaders took over Central America and destroyed most aspects of Maya life However Maya culture survives today in a few areas and approximately 6 million people still speak Mayan languages This statue made in 732 is located in Copán Honduras It shows a Maya ruler named Waxaklajuun Ub’aah K’awiil The stunning architecture of the Maya city of Palenque can still be seen today 5

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