Maya Civilization from Antiquity to The Early Modern Period

UNGKIT.COM - The Maya civilization was a Mesoamerican civilization that existed from ancient times to the early modern period. Known for its ancient temples and glyphs (script), this civilization is also renowned for its art, architecture, mathematics, calendar, and astronomical system. The Maya script, the most sophisticated and developed writing system in pre-Columbian America.

The term "Maya" originates from the city of Mayapán. "Maya" is a modern term used to refer collectively to the various groups of people who inhabited this region, as the Maya people lacked a common sense of ethnic identity or political unity for most of their history.

Spanish colonial and Maya-language sources in the Yucatán Peninsula use the term "Maya" to refer to both the language spoken by the Yucatec Maya and the region surrounding the then-abandoned city of Mayapán.

Some colonial Maya-language sources also use "Maya" to refer to other Maya groups, sometimes pejoratively referring to those Maya groups that were more resistant to Spanish rule.

The history of the Maya civilization is divided into three main periods: the Preclassic, Classic, and Postclassic. These periods were preceded by the Archaic Period, during which the first settled villages and the early development of agriculture emerged.

Modern scholars consider these periods to be divisions of the Maya chronology, not as indications of cultural evolution or decline. Definitions of the start and end dates of the periods vary.

The classic Maya political system and cities experienced a major collapse between the 8th and 10th centuries AD, believed to be due to drought, war, or environmental factors. The Maya people did not become extinct; their descendants still live in their original territories today, maintaining local traditions and languages.

Today, there are hundreds of Maya sites spread across five countries: Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico. Furthermore, numerous museums around the world have Maya artifacts in their collections.

The Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies lists more than 250 museums in its Maya Museum database, and the European Association of Mayanists lists nearly 50 museums in Europe alone. (*)