Winter Solstice Celebrations of the Ancient MayaThe sun loomed large in ancient Maya conceptions of the world. By Elizabeth Svoboda At the ancient...
Maya
An Ancient Mayan Royal Portrait SteleA number of important polities struggled for power, and rulers used steles to display their importance and...
The Temple of Kukulcán: El Castillo in Chichen ItzaThe construction of Kukulcán (“El Castillo”), like other Mesoamerican pyramids, likely reflected the common practice by the...
Pre-Colonial Architecture of the MayaTheir architecture has become an important key to understanding their religious beliefs and culture as a whole....
Daily Life in the Civilization of the MayaExploring some of the most important achievements of the Mayan civilization. Introduction Suppose you could fly over...
Achievements of the Maya, Inca, and Aztec CivilizationsThe more we learn about these cultures, the more we appreciate what was special about each of...
Impacts of the Spanish Invasion on Pre-Columbian Cultures of the AmericasImpacts of the Spanish invasion on the pre-Columbian cultures of the Americas. Spanish Treasure In the age...
Cozumel and Tulum: The Red Handprints of the MayaRed handprints can be found on the walls of a number of Maya sites and are associated...
A Brief History of the Indigenous Peoples of the AmericasSome indigenous peoples of the Americas supported agriculturally advanced societies for thousands of years. Introduction The indigenous...
Mayan Mesoamerican Culture and CivilizationIntroduction The Maya civilization is a Mesoamerican culture, noted for having the only known fully developed written...
The Late Mayan Classical Center of YaxchilanBy Mark CartwrightHistorian Yaxchilan, located on the banks of the Usumacinta River in the Yucatán peninsula of...
The Mayan City of Tikal from 300 CETikal built its wealth by exploiting its natural resources and geographical location to become a Maya superpower....
Visiting the Spirits of Chichen ItzaJoshua J. Mark tells of his journey to this magical ancient site that has become a symbol...
The Mayan Civilization’s Mysterious Collapse: Human Skull Trophies and Regional ConflictsArchaeologists interested in what the skull trophies may tell about a tumultuous time of shifting political power....
How the Classic Maya Coped with Changing Climate ConditionsMany people think climate change caused Classic Maya civilization to collapse abruptly around 900 A.D. An archaeologist...
A Rock, a Human, a Tree: All Were Persons to the Classic MayaWhile the social category of ‘persons’ is found in multiple cultural contexts, who or what is recognized...
Ancient Cosmologies: Understanding Ancient Skywatchers, Mayas, and their WorldviewsSince the beginning of humankind, the fascination with the celestial vault has been regarded as an important...
Maximón, a Maya Saint in SunglassesLife-size effigies of the saint are distributed throughout the highlands. By Dr. Kathleen McCampbellArchaeologist He sits among...
Women’s Voices in a Male World: Actions, Bodies, and Spaces among the Ancient MayaA greater focus on female activities such as food processing and weaving can provide valuable information on...
Investigations into Ancient Maya Domestic and Ritual ActivitiesGaining an understanding of the particular social processes involved in the transitional Terminal Classic period in this...
Texting in Ancient Mayan HieroglyphsBecause Mayan hieroglyphs have yet to be encoded, the ancient Mayan emperor K’inich Janaab’ Pakal would have...
How Climate Change Put a Damper on the Maya CivilizationThousands of years before their collapse, severely soggy conditions lasting for many centuries likely inhibited the civilization’s...
The Grolier Codex: What the Oldest Manuscript to Survive Spanish Conquest RevealsExtensive trade networks connected the Maya to the rest of Mesoamerica, producing the dynamic landscapes and bustling...
The Maya Civilization: What’s Geography Got to Do With It?The Maya Civilisation can be traced as far back as 2000 BCE. Introduction Geology is not just...
The Golden Age of the MayaBetween 250 and 900 CE, writing, religion, and art flourished. In certain respects, this era was the...