10 facts about the Maya!

Take a trip back in time to the Maya civilisation! Discover the cities, gods and games of these clever people in our ten terrific facts about the Maya…

1. The Maya civilisation stretched across Mesoamerica from about 2000 BC to AD 1600.

This huge area covers parts of modern-day North and Central America, including Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua and El Salvador.

A civilisation is a society of people who live in cities, have their own shared culture, and develop particular ways of living and working together. The Ancient Greeks, Egyptians and Romans are all examples of historic civilisations!

2. There were hundreds of Maya cities.

Some of the most famous cities, like Chichén Itzá, Palenque and Tikal (above), were filled with temples, pyramids, and palaces. Each major city and the surrounding area was ruled by a king or queen.

3. Farming was very important to the Maya.

Most people grew their own crops, including maize (corn), beans, squash, chilli peppers and cacao beans, and hunted animals like deer and turkey. They also produced cotton, which was dyed bright colours and weaved into clothing and other textiles.

4. They loved chocolate – but they didn’t eat it, they drank it!

Chocolate is made from beans grown on cacao plants. The Maya would dry, grind and mix these beans with water to make a hot, frothy drink. It was quite bitter, so they often added spices, honey, and even chilli, too! Click here to find out more about how chocolate is made.

Cacao beans were so valuable that the Maya even used them as money! This drink was mainly used for rituals and ceremonies.

5. Maya stories include over 200 gods and goddesses.

One of the most important was Itzamná, the creator. He ruled day and night, and invented books and writing. They also worshipped Chaac, the god of rain; Ix Chel, goddess of the moon, pregnancy and weaving; and Kukulkán, a powerful god who looked like an enormous feathered serpent. They also believed that Earth took the form of a giant turtle!

6. They built huge temples to honour their gods.

Inside these temples, the Maya sometimes performed rituals to keep the gods happy – including offerings and sacrifices. Yikes!

7. The Maya were expert writers and astronomers...

They invented their own writing system that used hieroglyphs (symbols) on paper made from the bark of wild fig trees. In books, called codices, the Maya created complex calendars to track the movements of planets and stars.

8. …and they developed the concept of zero!

A flower, seed, conch shell or human head symbol represented zero in their calculations and calendars.

9. A ball game called pitz was an important part of their culture.

Crowds often gathered to watch this two-week-long game where two teams played against each other to get a rubber ball from one side of the court (above) to the other. They could only use their knees, hips and elbows to pass it between them – and no dropping it on the ground!

10. The Maya civilisation collapsed – but there are Maya people living today.

In the 16th century, Spanish invaders called conquistadores arrived in Mesoamerica. They destroyed Maya cities, brought diseases which killed many Maya people, and for centuries they worked to erase the Maya culture. But in spite of this, millions of Indigenous people continued to follow Maya beliefs and speak Mayan languages – and they still do to this day.

How fascinating were those Maya facts? What an amazing civilisation!

All images © Adobe Stock.