Mayan History on Southern Ambergris Caye, Ambergris Caye, Belize

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Mayan History

People are continually drawn to this area due to a fascination with the ancient Maya and the magnificent natural surroundings. Below we talk about the defined periods referred to by Historians. alternatively visit Mayan Caves and Mayan Ruins to see what is the attraction for Tourists and Historians.

The Ancient Maya

Please refer to: Chronicle of the Maya Kings and Queens by Simon Martin and Nikolai Grube, published by Thames and Hudson in 2000, The Ancient Maya by Robert J. Sharer, published by Stanford University Press in 1994 from which the following was compiled for more detailed information. The ancient Maya occupied the area of modern day eastern Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and the western extremities of Honduras and El Salvador (see map). Occupation of this area began during the Preclassic (2000 BC to AD 250) extended through the Classic Period (AD 250 - 900) and survived into the Postclassic (AD 900 - 1500). There really is no end to the occupational history of Mexico and Central America by the Maya since today there are still approximately 6 million Maya descendants. There is no other New World culture that has aroused so much interest or posed so many questions. Europeans' encounter with the great ruins of the Maya in the sixteenth century was initially attributed to the Egyptians, but others included the Greeks, Phoenicians, and Israelites to name a few. It was not until the 1960's that these misconceptions were corrected, of note would be articles by Tatiana Proskouriakoff that demonstrated the hieroglyphic inscriptions included biographies of ancient Maya rulers. Despite attempts by divine lords to dominate, political unification never occurred and during the Classic period there were approximately 60 independent city-states. Each divine lord fought for both their independence and rulership over other city-states. The majority of these rivalries ended in the 10th century when there was a breakdown, populations declined, and the majority of cities were abandoned.

Preclassic (2000 BC to AD 250)

This time period is in itself divided into three periods: Early (2000 to 1000 BC), Middle (1000 to 400 BC), and Late (400 BC to AD 250). It was during the Middle Preclassic that the great civilization often referred to as the 'mother culture' of the Maya, the Olmec, emerged in the swampy Mexican Gulf Coast region. Olmec concepts and ideas spread to a wide array of locations in Mesoamerica but most notably to the Maya region. The first major cities of the Maya, as early as 500 BC, were establishing themselves in the lowland forests. It was during this time they began to ornately decorate structures with beautiful stucco masks and red paint. One of the first of these Preclassic cities was Nakbe, which was superceded by the massive site of El Mirador. For reasons not yet understood this culture failed and there was a shift to the Southern Area, which included the cities Kaminaljuyu and El Baul. It was in this area that, for the first time, the Maya began to develop features we refer to as Classic traits; the use of the Long Count calendar, hieroglyphic inscriptions and historical portraits that all reflected a rise in new political ideology. It was during this same time around 100 BC that the Classic period dynasty of Tikal was establishing itself. Again, for reasons not yet known cities in the Southern Area declined and there was yet another shift this time back into the lowlands.

Classic (AD 250 to 900)

This time period can also be divided. In the Early Classic (AD 250 to 600) state-level political organizations developed and expanded in the Maya region, especially in the central lowlands, and included Tikal, Altun Ha, and Xunantunich . The Late Classic (AD 600 to 800) saw a rise in the new kinship-based rulership combined with a peak in population and cultural development especially in the central and southern lowlands. And finally, the Terminal Classic (AD 800 to 900), which marks a sharp decline, indicating severe stress in the central and southern lowland sites and ends with the last recorded date in the Long Count calendar. The opening of the Terminal Classic period marked the beginning of a dramatic decline. Thriving cities of hundreds of thousands were left largely deserted. There have been numerous theories proposed to explain the decline including drought, exhausted soils, depleted subsistence sources, poor nutrition, disease, and social disintegration. Once failure began to set in it was most likely a combination of the above but many questions still remain.

Postclassic (AD 900 to 1500 ?)

The Postclassic is sometimes characterized as a time of decline following the population and cultural peak of the Classic period and is divided into two sub-periods Early (AD 900 to 1200) and Late (AD 1200 to 1500). The Central Area that once included the major city-states of Tikal, Palenque, Caracol, and Calakmul was only sparsely populated and the Northern and Southern Areas saw the majority of concentration. Chichen Itza was the dominant power in the north and showed close ties with the powerful Toltec culture located in central Mexico creating a unique combination of Maya and Mexican architecture. Once Chichen began to decline it was replaced by Mayapan which was able to hold on to some of Chichen's previous power until it too was abandoned. The Maya were extremely resistant to Spanish invaders and held out even longer then the famed Aztec Empire which was defeated in 1521. Even at outlying sites such as Lamanai the Maya were able to resist until as late as 1638.

This is only a brief introduction to one of the world's greatest civilizations. Many turbulent stories remain to be told and discovered. Please refer to the reading list provided for recommended books pertaining to the Maya.