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A long time ago, around 2500 BCE, an ancient tribe of
Central American Indians called the Olmecs settled in the rainforests
of the Yucatan Peninsula of Central America.
About
two thousand years later, around 400 BCE, a new people suddenly
appeared. These
people were called the Maya. No one knows where they came from, but
they arrived with amazing skills. They were an advanced civilization. They soon took over the Yucatan
Peninsula of Central America.
The Maya were very clever people. Their system of mathematics was among
the most sophisticated in the ancient world. Like the ancient Romans,
the Mayas were master builders. Unlike the ancient Romans, the ancient
Mayas did not have metal tools. Their tools
were made of stone, bone, and wood. Yet they built beautiful
structures, huge cities, and excellent roads - roads that connected
the many hundreds of cities that made up the Maya world.
Around
900 CE, the Maya cities were abandoned. A
few people continued to live in the cities, but mostly, the cities
were empty. The people had, for the most part, disappeared,
gone somewhere else. Those who remained were unable or unwilling
to repair the magnificent roads and buildings. The great Maya cities
fell into ruin.
To
this day, nobody knows where the Maya people came from before they
arrived in the Yucatan Peninsula, and nobody knows why they left or
where they went when most of the Maya people abandoned their cities
and disappeared from the Yucatan
Peninsula. That's why the Maya are sometimes referred to as "the
mysterious Mayas".
During
the 1500 years or so that the Maya Indians made their home in Central
America, they build hundreds of religious centers, each filled with
huge pyramids and elaborate temples. There was at least one ball
court in every city. Excellent roads ran for miles through the jungles and swamps,
linking these centers of religion and learning.
Today, archaeologists
remain very curious about these ancient people. Archaeologists face many dangers to hunt
for the ruins of the ancient Maya cities hidden deep in the
jungles of Central America.
There are not many, but there are some Maya people still living in
Central America, descendants of the ancient Mayas who
remained behind in the nearly deserted cities. Still today, their
crafts are amongst the most beautiful in the world.
The
Maya Mystery (winner, thinkquest)
Why
did the Maya disappear?
What
happened to the Mayas?
No
one knows. Here are some great student guesses!
Around 900 CE, the
Mayas left their cities and disappeared.
Click
here to learn more about these fascinating people
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