the Maya civilization

The Maya civilization was an advanced Mesoamerican society that thrived from around 2000 BCE to 1500 CE in present-day Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and parts of Honduras and El Salvador. They built impressive cities with pyramids, palaces, and observatories, and developed complex writing, mathematics, and astronomy systems. The Maya were skilled in agriculture and created a detailed calendar. Their society was organized into city-states ruled by kings. By the time Europeans arrived, many Maya sites were abandoned, but their descendants still maintain rich cultural traditions today. The civilization is renowned for its achievements in architecture, art, and science.