The earliest settlements of the ancient Mayans date back to around the second millennium BC. This ancient civilization lived in the territory of modern southern Mexico and in the northern parts of Latin America. The whole world recognized the achievements of the Maya: complex calendar calculations, hieroglyphic writing, flourishing of agriculture and unique architecture.
The era of the classical period
Around 250 AD, a period began known as the era of classicism. At this time, cities flourished, built up with amazing temples and palaces. The number of tribes reaches its peak. The end of the classical period is considered to be the 10th century AD, when the aborigines began to leave large settlements in droves. The heart of the Mayan civilization was concentrated in the lowlands of present-day Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, and parts of Mexico. According to historians, the decline did not occur immediately, it took many years (from the end of the 8th to the beginning of the 10th century). Until now, there is no exact version of the reasons for the fall of the Mayan civilization.
Assumptions
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This issue has been studied many times. Scientists have suggested that a number of possible reasons could contribute to the collapse of the population concentrated in the lowlands. Overcrowding, environmental degradation, civil wars, loss of trade routes and prolonged drought are cited as the most likely factors. It is likely that a combination of the above factors contributed to the decline of the once powerful civilization.
There is no doubt that the Maya did not disappear completely from the face of the earth. So, in the period preceding the conquest of the conquistadors, the cities located in the northern lowlands of Chichen Itza and Mayapana (both were located on the territory of the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico) came to the fore. Maya also created cities in the Highland (modern Guatemala.)
Conquest
The Spanish conquistadors arrived in America in the early 16th century. The last major city of the Taiyasal civilization surrendered to the colonialists in 1697. Until the 19th century, the deserted ancient cities were completely abandoned and forgotten. And only in the period of modern history, archaeologists actively began to explore the territory. Today, Mayan descendants continue to live in their ancestral lands (Mexico, Honduras, Belize, Guatemala and El Salvador.)
Inga Kaisina