Ancient Mayan Civilization

Ancient Mayan Civilization was founded in 1800 BCE and fell in 1519, when the Spanish landed. Maya encompassed modern day, Mexico, Belize and Guatemala. Ancient Mayan Religion was based on Nature gods, torture and sacrifice. The Mayan Civilization fell because of drought, war and excessive land use. Ancient Mayan Civilization was based on religion, agricultural and war.

The Mayan Civilization was a major civilization on the American continent which started becoming more powerful in ~ 1,500 BCE. It was mostly located in the tropical lowlands of Guatemala and the Yucatan Peninsula. It reached the peak of its power in 600 AD. The Maya’s biggest strengths included: agriculture, pottery, writing, calendars and math. The Mayan empire mostly disappeared by 900AD; however, scholars still don’t know why they disappeared. [1]

In modern day Mesoamerica 5 million people speak the Mayan language- most are bilingual in Spanish. The first Mayan settlements were built in 1800BCE.   At the peak of the Mayan civilization – 250ADthe Mayans had over forty cities. The Mayans worshipped gods related to nature- and deeply believed in nature- like the sun, water, moon and wind. [2]

In the 8th and 9th century, the Mayan Civilization started to fall apart in the lowlands for an unknown reason. The suggested reasons are drought, wars and overuse of the land. In 1519, when the Spanish came, the empire was completely wiped out completely- partially caused by millions of Meso-Americans dying of European diseases. Torture and sacrifice were key parts of the Mayan religion. [3]

The Ancient Mayan Empire grew quickly and still leaves an impression today with 5 million current speakers of the language and its traditional culture was still present in some places. Women still wear the traditional dress, and they still grow the ancient crops. They still continue to practice their ancient rituals. They still practice their festivals that came from ancient Mayan times. The modern-day Maya still includes some of their gods in their religious practices and they are mostly Roman Catholic.

Citations:

  Britannica:Maya. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Accessed June 28, 2025. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Maya-people.

  History.com:History.com Editors. Maya. HISTORY. Last modified October 5, 2023. https://www.history.com/articles/maya.

  History on the Net:Hancock, Scott. The Rise and Fall of the Maya Civilization Over 3,000 Years. History on the Net. Accessed June 28, 2025. https://www.historyonthenet.com/rise-and-fall-of-maya-civilization-over-3000-years.

Braswell, Geoffrey E, Oswaldo Fernando Chinchilla Mazariegos, and Zachary X Hruby. The Technology of Maya Civilization : Political Economy and beyond in Lithic Studies. 1st ed. London ; Routledge, 2014. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315728858.

Footnotes:

  Maya, Encyclopaedia Britannica, accessed June 28, 2025, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Maya-people.

  History.com Editors, Maya, HISTORY, last modified October 5, 2023, https://www.history.com/articles/maya.

  Scott Hancock, The Rise and Fall of the Maya Civilization Over 3,000 Years, History on the Net, accessed June 28, 2025, https://www.historyonthenet.com/rise-and-fall-of-maya-civilization-over-3000-years.

[1]   Maya, Encyclopaedia Britannica, accessed June 28, 2025, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Maya-people.

[2]

  History.com Editors, Maya, HISTORY, last modified October 5, 2023, https://www.history.com/articles/maya.

[3]   Scott Hancock, The Rise and Fall of the Maya Civilization Over 3,000 Years, History on the Net, accessed June 28, 2025, https://www.historyonthenet.com/rise-and-fall-of-maya-civilization-over-3000-years.