THE MAYA CIVILIZATION CIVILIZATION DEVELOPED MAYA PEOPLES HIEROGLYPHIC SCRIPT FULLY WRITING SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE MATHEMATICS CALENDAR AREA SOUTHEASTERN MEXICO GUATEMALA BELIZE THE WESTERN HONDURAS EL SALVADOR THIS REGION NORTHERN LOWLANDS PENINSULA THE HIGHLANDS SIERRA MADRE RUNNING THE MEXICAN STATE CHIAPAS SOUTHERN LOWLANDS THE PACIFIC ARCHAIC PERIOD PRIOR SAW AGRICULTURE PERIOD THE ESTABLISHMENT OF COMPLEX SOCIETIES MAYA CULTIVATION THE STAPLE CROPS MAYA DIET MAIZE BEANS CHILI PEPPER CITIES POSSESSED MONUMENTAL TEMPLES STUCCO HIEROGLYPHIC WRITING REGION THE CENTURY NUMBER THE BASIN KAMINALJUYU ROSE PROMINENCE GUATEMALAN HIGHLANDS BEGINNING THE CLASSIC DEFINED RAISING SCULPTED MONUMENTS LONG COUNT DATES DEVELOP LARGE NUMBER TRADE NETWORK MAYA LOWLANDS TIKAL CALAKMUL INTERVENTION THE CENTRAL MEXICAN CITY OF DYNASTIC POLITICS POLITICAL COLLAPSE INTERNECINE WAR ABANDONMENT OF CITIES NORTHWARD SHIFT POSTCLASSIC RISE CHICHEN ITZA EXPANSION AGGRESSIVE KINGDOM THE SPANISH EMPIRE COLONISED MESOAMERICAN REGION THE FALL THE LAST MAYA CITY CLASSIC PERIOD RULE THE CONCEPT THE DIVINE KING ACTED MEDIATOR MORTALS SUPERNATURAL KINGSHIP PATRILINEAL POWER NORMALLY PASS ELDEST WAR POLITICS CLOSED SYSTEM EXACT LATE CLASSIC ARISTOCRACY REDUCTION EXCLUSIVE SOPHISTICATED PERISHABLE JADE OBSIDIAN CERAMICS STONE PAINTED EXPAND CITY CENTRE SPRAWL RESIDENTIAL PARTS CAUSEWAYS PRINCIPAL ARCHITECTURE OF BALLCOURTS STRUCTURES ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATION ELITE COMPLEX SYSTEM ADVANCED RITUAL KNOWLEDGE UNCONTESTED THE REST TEXT STELAE RITUAL EMPLOYED ZERO IN HUMAN SACRIFICE MESOAMERICAN CULTURAL AREA COVERS NORTHERN MEXICO CENTRAL CRADLES OF CIVILIZATION GAVE CULTURAL WRITING SYSTEMS THE SET TRAITS CULTURES BLOOD COSMOVISION VIEWED THE WORLD DIVIDED DIVISIONS CARDINAL DIRECTION DIVISION CELESTIAL THE UNDERWORLD THE EARLY INHABITANTS EXPERIMENTING DOMESTICATION OF PLANTS PROCESS EVENTUALLY SEDENTARY AGRICULTURAL DIVERSE CLIMATE WIDE VARIATION AVAILABLE REGIONS THE BASE STONE AGE TECHNOLOGY SILVER GOLD DRAFT ANIMALS DOMESTICATED ANIMALS MEANS OF TRANSPORT ON FOOT MESOAMERICANS HOSTILE GOVERNED THE RITUAL MESOAMERICAN BALLGAME LINGUISTICALLY LANGUAGES FALLING SMALL NUMBER LANGUAGE FAMILIES THE MAJOR FAMILIES MAYAN OTOMANGUEAN SMALLER ISOLATES MESOAMERICAN LANGUAGE AREA SHARES LOANWORD VIGESIMAL NUMBER SYSTEM THE TERRITORY ENGAGED DYNAMIC RELATIONSHIP NEIGHBOURING OLMEC MIXTEC AZTEC BEYOND SAME TIME STRONG PRESENCE COMPOUND CENTURIES MURALS CACAXTLA SITE ALIGN ITSELF FRAGMENTATION ATTEMPT EXPRESS ORIGIN TOLTEC CAPITAL CLOSE TERRITORY NORTHERN CENTRAL AMERICA ENTIRE THE MODERN VAST PLAIN HILLS MOUNTAINS GENERALLY THE REGION FORESTED LIMESTONE CHAIN FOURTEEN LAKES RUNS DRAINAGE BASIN THE SOUTH THE PLAIN RISES DENSE FOREST NORTHERN CAMPECHE VEGETATION CONSISTING OF LITTORAL ZONE LIES SIERRA MADRE DE CHIAPAS COASTAL PLAIN FOOTHILLS SIERRA HIGHLANDS REACHING HIGHEST SIERRA DE LOS CUCHUMATANES POPULATION LARGEST HIGHLAND THE VALLEY QUETZALTENANGO VALLEY BELT VOLCANIC CONES PARALLEL THE HISTORY OF MAYA CIVILIZATION PERIODS ARCHAIC SETTLED MODERN SCHOLARS ARBITRARY RATHER INDICATIVE CULTURAL EVOLUTION DEFINITIONS START CONTINUE DISCUSS OCCUPATION CUELLO CARBON DATED ALREADY CULTIVATING COMMUNITIES INTRODUCTION POTTERY FIRED CLAY FIGURINES THE MIDDLE GROW NAKBE THE DEPARTMENT OF MAYA RULERS EL MIRADOR COVER TAKALIK ABAJ COASTAL KOMCHEN FLORESCENCE THE GREAT EPOCH ABANDONED CAUSE THE LOWLAND RAISED MARKED THE PEAK CONSTRUCTION URBANISM RECORDING INTELLECTUAL ARTISTIC PARTICULARLY LANDSCAPE RENAISSANCE ITALY CLASSICAL GREECE MULTIPLE COMPLEX NETWORK ALLIANCES LARGEST CITIES POPULATIONS NUMBERING SUBSIDIARY METROPOLIS VALLEY OF MEXICO NEARBY SIYAJ KAK BORN OF FIRE THE KING CHAK DIED VIOLENT INSTALLATION YAX NUUN AHIIN NEW DYNASTY DOMINANCE POWERFUL RIVAL ALLIES PRESTIGE ASSOCIATION RELATIONS OTHER MEMBERS OF ALLIANCE EACH OTHER POINTS POWERS GAIN STRATEGIC VICTORY BALAJ CHAN KAWIIL SENT NEW CITY DOS PILAS APPARENTLY OUTPOST BEYOND THE REACH THE NEXT DECADES BROTHER OVERLORD YUKNOOM CHEEN CAPTURED THE THRONE DOS LOYAL ALLY DYNASTY KINICH YAX KUK MO STRONG TIES REACHED THE HEIGHT DEVELOPMENT UAXACLAJUUN UBAAH KAWIIL RULED REIGN KAK TILIW CHAN YOPAAT LORD TAKEN DECAPITATED PUBLIC COUP ORDER PALENQUE YAXCHILAN USUMACINTA IN THE VALLEY THE NORTH COBA SUFFERED MAJOR ENDING DYNASTIES SHIFT IN ACCEPTED THEORY EXPLAINS COMBINATION ENDEMIC OVERPOPULATION ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION DROUGHT TERMINAL UXMAL NORTHERN PENINSULA CEASED RAISE CLASSIC MAYA SOCIAL ORGANISATION AUTHORITY CONTROL FOOD DISTRIBUTION MODEL RULERSHIP POORLY STRUCTURED RESPOND RULERS LIMITED TRADITION SYSTEMIC PROBLEM SYSTEM COUNCIL SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL KINGDOMS DECLINED WESTERN CHANGES THE RAPID DEPOPULATION COUPLE SCULPTING DATE LONGER ROYAL TRADE ROUTES CONCENTRATED PERMANENT WATER PREVIOUS CONTRACTION LANDS QUICKLY ACTIVITY INVOLVED MIGRATION PUUC NEIGHBOURS DRAMATICALLY THE FINAL EPISODE OF THE DECLINE DOMINANT MAYAPAN CARIBBEAN GULF CONTINUOUS ALMOST PACIFIC EXPOSED PROLIFERATION WARFARE OCCUPY H