A Brief History of the Mayan Empire

The Maya Indian Empire  was one of the most awe inspiring civilizations  in all of Central America. Its history can be divided in several subsequent  periods  from 320 AD, a date found inscribed on a jade plate found in the Tikal region. The artifact is being  kept at the Leiden Museum in the Netherlands.

around the 11th and 12th Century,  the Maya Indians were subdued by the invading Toltec warriors. This gave way to the Maya-Tolteca civilization. Following this great change, years of decadence, uprisings and political crisis ensued, followed the ocupation of the region by the Aztecs.

The Mayan empire is comprised of the following regions:
Yucatan, Guatemala and South-East of Mexico.

The initial source centered itself in the Peten region, with the Tikal and Uaxactun aglomerations. Mayan religious centers, or cities include: Bonampak, Chichen Itza, Copan, Palenque,  Uxmal,  and others. 

Maya Indian temples were built on gigantic stepped pyramids, each side of the structure had steps leading to the ornate stone temple located ot its peak. THe interior of Mayan temples were decorated with intricate mural paintings. Mayan hieroglyghics, like the one seen below usually represented full words or syllabics.

It is perhaps due to this vibrant form of documentation that we are able to decipher so much about this fascinating Pre-Columbian civilization.

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