The Ancient and Mysterious Maya Civilization

🌄The Maya civilization was one of the most powerful and enduring in Mesoamerica, ruling in Central America for hundreds of years.

🌽The Maya worshiped nature gods and believed that corn played a crucial role in creating real humans who could worship the gods.

🏛️Maya cities were centers of culture and featured impressive stone temples, pyramids, and altars for religious sacrifices.

📚The Maya developed a complex writing system with more than 800 different hieroglyphs and created paper books called codices.

⭐The Maya made significant contributions to mathematics, astronomy, and art, including the discovery of the concept of zero and the invention of a highly accurate calendar system.

What were the main achievements of the Maya civilization?

—The Maya civilization achieved impressive feats in architecture, art, mathematics, astronomy, and writing. They built impressive stone structures, developed a complex writing system, made significant advancements in mathematics, and accurately predicted astronomical events.

Why did the Maya civilization decline?

—The decline of the Maya civilization is still not completely understood. Possible reasons include overpopulation, constant wars between city-states, destruction of trade routes, and droughts.

How did the Maya play the ballgame?

—The Maya ballgame was played with a heavy rubber ball, and players could not use their hands or feet. They hit the ball with their hips, elbows, and knees to keep it in the air and tried to get it through a small stone hoop on the court.

What were the Maya's contributions to mathematics?

—The Maya developed a complete number system based on 20 and discovered the concept of zero. They used their number system to create an accurate calendar system and made significant advancements in astronomy.

Are the Maya still present today?

—Yes, millions of Maya people still live in their ancestral homeland in the Yucatan, speaking Mayan languages and practicing their traditions.

00:00The Maya civilization ruled in Central America and was one of the most powerful in Mesoamerica.

01:11The Maya people worshiped nature gods, including gods of the sun, the moon, rain, and corn.

04:12Maya cities were centers of culture and featured impressive stone temples, pyramids, and altars for religious sacrifices.

08:08The Maya made significant contributions to mathematics, astronomy, and art, including the discovery of zero and the invention of an accurate calendar system.

12:09The decline of the Maya civilization is still not completely understood, but possible reasons include overpopulation, constant wars, and droughts.