Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
termittently open until about 10,000 years ago when the last Ice Age ended, submerging
the land bridge with rising sea levels.
ThepeoplethatsettledtheNewWorldeventuallygrewinpopulationandtransitionedfrom
hunter-gatherers to nascent agricultural societies. The developing civilizations then made
a clear transition from hillside swidden agriculture to more intensive forms of cultivation,
includingterracefarming,theconstructionofdrainageditches,andthedevelopmentoffer-
tilizers, which in turn produced large food surpluses. With greater food security, the popu-
lation gradually became more specialized in its individual occupations, paving the way for
advances in writing, art, architecture, and mathematics. A common language and universal
beliefsystemarethoughttohaveexistedthroughouttheMayanregion,providinganeeded
social cohesion that served as a catalyst for the development of a larger civilization.
Today, the remains of this civilization can be seen throughout northern Guatemala's
Petén region at sites such as Tikal, Uaxactún, Yaxhá, Piedras Negras, and El Mirador. The
inhabitants of these Mayan cities, now lying in ruins, spent their time trading, stargazing,
and fighting wars before abandoning their cities, which were later reclaimed by the sur-
rounding jungle.
Our knowledge of the Maya comes largely from the edification of large carved monu-
ments, or stelae, which document the lives of the individual city-states' rulers and include
historicaleventsassociatedwiththeirreign,suchasbattles,marriagealliances,andsucces-
sions. The Maya built their temples and palaces atop previous constructions; what we see
today is literally the pinnacle of their progress.
