The Mayan CivilizationThe Mayan Civilization is a very important culture that has left a great impact on our world today. They are known for their written language, art, mathematical system, and astronomical system. The Mayan territory includes Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Belize and southern Mexico. In these areas the Maya thrived in their religious practices, politics, and land use. The Mayan culture has a long history starting around 1000 BC. The history of the Maya is divided into four different time periods: the Middle Preclassic period, the Late Preclassic period, the Classic period, and the Postclassic period. The Middle Preclassic period was when small areas started to become city-like in the way they started to build larger temples. The Late Preclassic period was when cities began to expand with paved streets and massive pyramids. The Classic Period was the time when the Mayan civilization reached its peak. Populations grew rapidly and the structure of politics was formed. The postclassic period was one in which warfare was on the increase and cities were abandoned (Coe 2005). This article will focus on the Classic period as it is the most important period in Maya history. The Mayan civilization was based primarily on agriculture and religion. The daily life of the Maya revolved around an innumerable number of Gods of the earth. The most important God was the head, the ruler of all Gods. The Maya prayed to these Gods especially regarding their crops. For example, they prayed to the rain god to nourish their crops. They practiced their religion during ceremonies conducted by priests. They also practiced confession and even fasted before important ceremonies (Gann and Thompson 1931 118-138). The Maya were also… middle of paper… The Maya may have consumed the land they used (Houston and Inomata 2009). There are, however, descendants of the ancient Maya who still occupy some areas today. Their lifestyle is almost the same as the ancient Maya but they lean more towards Christianity. They live in villages of two to 100 houses. The sites are almost impossible to find because the Maya are committed to keeping them hidden (Gann and Thompson 1931). The Mayans thrived for a long period of time before falling. They were strong in their religious beliefs, their love of agriculture, and their protection of the land. Works Cited Coe, Michael2005 The Maya. New York: Thames and HudsonGann, Thompson and Eric Thompson1931 The Story of the Maya. New York: Sons of Charles Scribner.Houston, Stephen and Takeshi Inomata2009 The Classic Maya. New York: Cambridge University Press