Where Did the Mayas Live?

The Mayans lived in the areas that are now known as Central America (Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, and Honduras), southern Mexico, and the Yucatan Peninsula.

The Mayans lived in what is called Mesoamerica, which is an area from central Mexico to Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. 

The region where the Mayans lived and still live today has some specific features. There are highlands, lowlands, rainforests, coniferous forests, mountains, and volcanoes.

The Maya civilization goes back at least 4000 years and some evidence says it was even longer. Their calendar dates back to 3114 BC.  It is thought the Mayans lived in villages as early as 2000 BC.

The Mayan population today is estimated to be between 8 and 10 million, with half of the population of Guatemala being Mayan.  

Mayan Classic Period

The peak of the Mayan civilization came during what is called their Classic period from 250 to 900 AD. They built magnificent cities, like Chichen Itza, Tikal, and Uxmal, pyramids, temples, and palaces in which their rulers were to to live. The architecture of this time rivals anything that the Greeks and Romans built.

They developed written language and wrote thousands of books.  Unfortunately, the Spanish destroyed most of them. All the arts flourished and artwork was sophisticated and beautiful.  

During this time, there were great advances in science and mathematics.  They made several calendars and charted the movement of celestial bodies.  They were able to calculate the solar year. The Mayans were fascinated with the cycles of nature and believed you could predict the future by understanding these cycles. Agriculture was also advanced, with irrigation, terracing, raised fields, etc.

The Mayans were the first civilization to keep accurate, historical records. This information was recorded on stone and wooden slabs called "stelae," which had names and dates carved on them.  

Decline of the Maya

For unknown reasons, or for a combination of reasons, the Maya civilization declined after their Classic period during the 8th and 9th centuries.

All construction stopped abruptly, because the Mayan stelae were no longer erected. This collapse of the Mayan civilization has been a mystery that is yet to be solved. Some of the reasons this happened could be:

• A long drought
• War
• Natural disasters
• Disease
• Overpopulation
• Climate change

The Spanish conquest of the Mayan people and their lands began in 1520 and ended in 1697. The Spanish conquistadors enslaved the Mayans, took their lands, and sent many to work in the mines of northern Mexico. The Spanish also introduced smallpox and other diseases which decimated the Mayan population.  

Pyramids and Temples of the Maya

When you think of Mayans and where Mayans lived, you envision the stepped pyramids that they built. Pyramids were built in a religious center, along with a palace for the ruler. The pyramids were of two kinds:

• one was stepped so you could walk to the top
• the other was smooth and not intended for climbing, since it was sacred and was not to be touched

Priests or kings would ascend to the top of a pyramid to symbolize the ascent into the heavens. They would sometimes stop and perform rituals along the way, which sometimes included animal sacrifices.  

Most of the pyramids had a shrine at the top dedicated to one of the many Mayan deities. Historians feel that the pyramids served as a reminder to the people that the gods were always watching and also served as landmarks.

What is really amazing is these huge buildings were constructed without the help of animals, the wheel, which hadn’t been invented, or pulleys. The Mayans did not have metal tools, only axes and tools made of stone.