35 Fascinating Facts About the Mayans [View all]

By Meagan Drillinger, updated on February 23, 2024



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If you've ever visited Cancun or Playa del Carmen in Mexico, then you’ve likely heard about the Mayans. They are the indigenous culture that ruled southern Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Belize for hundreds of years, and they are responsible for some of the region's most popular tourist sites, like Chichen Itza and Tulum in Mexico or Tikal in Guatemala.

But so much more than being the architects of these ancient cities, the Mayan people laid the foundation for all the cultures that exist in this region today. From cuisine and ceremony to legend, spiritual belief and language, what was created more than a thousand years ago still exists today.

There are roughly 6 million direct Maya descendants living in Mexico and Central America, many of whom still speak Mayan dialects, practice ancient shamanism and prepare centuries-old recipes. In fact, if you've ever had cochinita pibil tacos in Mexico, then guess what? You've had Mayan cuisine.

So, if you're curious about this colorful, mystical, ancient culture that held one of the largest empires in the ancient world from roughly 1,800 B.C. to 900 A.D., read on to discover some amazing facts about the Mayans.

There are still Mayan cities and sites being discovered.



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The Classic Maya civilization grew to about 40 cities at its peak. Today, for as much as the Mayan world has been discovered, there is still so much more that lies shrouded deep within jungles or buried beneath the Earth.

In fact, it was only a few years ago that a pyramid dating more than 1,000 years was discovered at Tonina in Chiapas, Mexico. The majority of the site of Calakmul in Campeche, Mexico, is less than 50 percent uncovered as well.

More:
https://www.farandwide.com/s/incredible-history-mayans-06beb40798cd4aa0