The Maya created one of the greatest civilizations in the ancient Americas. Unlike other Mesoamerican empires, the Maya were not politically unified. They were unified culturally, although they spoke thirty different languages.

They occupied three areas of the Yucatán Peninsula: the northern flatlands, the central tropical rainforest, and the southern volcanic highlands. The Maya in each area used intensive farming techniques like hillside terraces and canals for drainage, water storage, and fishfarming. Each small Mayan kingdom had a capital city with elaborate architectural complexes including plazas, palaces, pyramids, and ball courts. Each capital was surrounded by a network of towns and villages supplying food, crafts, and labor. In return for supplying these essential goods, the capital protected them from starvation and external attack.

The Mayans were skilled painters, scribes, and potters, and they used hieroglyphic designs. We know this because archaeologists have found their artifacts in the watery bottoms of cenotes, natural pits or sinkholes caused by collapsed limestone bedrock.

Between 500 and 800 A.D., the population reached five million. However, the population dropped dramatically between 800 and 900, due to agricultural, environmental, and political reasons.

Mayan civilization did not collapse but underwent a transition. In the twenty-first century, the Mayan world is varied and spread across the national borders between Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras.