Facts About The Mayans

A singular visual scheme defines the precariousness of Tulum: abandoned yards, old tires, trash, a few chickens or dogs running around, and the smell of excrement. Blue, red, pink, purple, violet garments hang from clotheslines in the yards lending movement and structure to these apparently disordered…

The term Mesoamerica is derived from the Greek and means Middle America. It refers to a geographical and cultural area which extends from northern Mexico down through Central America, including Guatemala, Belize, Honduras and El Salvador. It is therefore seen as partly in North America, and encompassing…

Although the Maya are well known for creating a multitude of art—sketches, wood carvings, stone works—they are perhaps best known for their pottery. Driven both by function and aesthetics, pottery became a ceramic canvas for the Maya to tell stories, venerate the gods, commemorate the deceased and much…

Excerpt from The Watchman s Rattle by American sociobiologist, Rebecca D. Costa As rainfall levels declined, fifteen million Mayan citizens never came face-to-face with their deteriorating situation. The population was exploding, the need for water was rapidly escalating, and the annual rainfall was…

Unraveling the mystery of who the Maya were, how they lived-and why their civilization suddenly collapsed. The crowd at the base of the enormous bloodred pyramid has been standing for hours in the dripping heat of the Guatemalan jungle. No one moves; every eye stays fixed on the building s summit, where…