The civilization of the early Maya period begin around 250 A.D and end around 600 A.D.

The geographical location of the Mayans extends through the northern Central American region.
Which is now present-day Guatemala, Belize, western Honduras, and El Salvador. It also
occupied territory through some of Mexicos southern states such as Chiapas, Tabasco etc. The
Mayans lived in two types of lands the lowlands and the highlands. The lowlands were used for
growing crops for their personal use. They grew squash, beans, chili peppers, amaranth, manioc,
cacao, cotton (for light cloth), and sisal (for heavy cloth and rope). The highlands had a wide
variety of mountains and valleys and were subject to tsunamis, volcanoes and earthquakes. The
soil of the highlands were fertile and the climate was much more cooler than in the lowlands.
While scavenging for foods in the forest many dangerous animals, such as jaguars, caiman, bull
sharks, and a variety of poisonous snakes, must be avoided. The political structure of the Mayans
was a hierarchical government which is ruled by kings and priests, who lived in independent
city-states that have rural communities and large urban ceremonial centers. Although there were
no standing armies warfare played a major role in religion, power, and prestige. Religion was the
major unifying factor of all of the citizens and was part of their daily life. To practice human
sacrafice they would raid different communities for victims. The major unifying factor of the
civilizations was religion and it was used in their daily life. To practice human sacrifice they
would raid other communities to obtain victims. Their religion involved the aspects of nature,
astronomy and rituals. The mayans calendars and astronomical buildings were used during their
religious rituals. They used pyramids much like the egyptians used but had flat tops to build
temples on. The mayans believed when the sun and moon set (help from the gods) they went
through an underworld. Mountains and hills are believed to be the homes of such ancient gods.
The mayans were known for their knowledge and understanding of celestial bodies, predicting
solar eclipses etc. Astrological cycles were used for planting and harvesting crops, it also helped
develop two calendars that are just as precise as the calendars we use today. The first calendar
known as Calendar Round and measures time in an endless loop. The second calendar known as
the Long Calendar worked the same way the Calendar round did-cycled through one interval
after another- but its interval was much more longer. The mayan language is composed of
Mesoamerican Indian languages that came from the ancestral language Proto-Mayan. It was
spoken thousands of years ago by inhabitants of the Mayan empire. The trade system of the
mayans was very advanced consisting of short, medium and long trade routes and a market for a
wide range of different goods and materials. The mayans did not use money. There was no
universally accepted form of currency which could be used anywhere in the maya region.
Valuable items, such as cacao seeds, obsidian or gold tended to vary in value from one city-state
to another. Usually in further regions the value of products rise in value. The Mayans were
divided into social classes. At the top of the social classes were the priests who were treated with
the most respect. Unlike priest, farmers and slaves were at the bottom of the social class and
were treated with the least respect. Slaves are properties of their owners and were usually people
who had been accused of crimes. As for the farmers they were very successful. They created
terraces on hills to make flat surfaces for plating. They also moved crop fields so the soil did not
become worn out.
www.historymuseum.ca/cmc/exhibitions/civil/maya/mmc09eng.shtm/
www.crystalinks.com/mayangeography.html
www.webpage.uidaho.edu/arch499/nonwest/mayan/agriculture.htm
www.myth.cjourneys.org/bigmyth/myths/english/eng_maya_culture.htm
www.history.com/topics/mayan-scientific-achievments
https://www.reference.com/world-view/language-did-mayans-speak-5e9a93284220f001
www.latinamericanhistory.about.com
www.watertowns.k12.ma.us/cunniff/americanhistorycentral/.../the_mayas