Who were the ancient Maya?

Watch: What was the Maya civilisation?

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The Maya people are ed for amazing creations and ideas. Some of these include:

In the 19th century Maya cities, statues and artefacts were uncovered, preserved and collected.

The Maya first developed their civilisation in around 2000 BC.
In around 1600 AD the Maya were conquered and destroyed by the Spanish invaders.

Maya society was very complex.
There were hundreds of cities.
Different classes including: commoners, a middle class, nobles and the king and his royal court.
The Maya built amazing cities like Tikal (which they called Yax Mutal) and Palenque.
Maya people lived in different cities and they were ruled by different kings and queens. However, they shared a lot of the same beliefs and traditions.
Going to war and buying and selling things were important parts of Maya society. Art and architecture were important too.

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Follow Jade Skirt as she shows you some of the interesting things that you can still find in Tikal.
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This is the ancient city of Tikal. 1300 years ago it would have been called 'Yax Mutal' and was home to thousands of Maya people.
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This is the Temple of the Great Jaguar. It's called this because, at the top, there used to be a large carving of king Jasaw Chan K'awiil sitting on a Jaguar throne.
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This is a commemorative slab which was placed here in AD711. It represents the great leader Jasaw Chan K'awiil, who was buried in The Temple of the Great Jaguar.
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Here is an ancient ball court. The games that the Mayas played here would have settled arguments between different cities.
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This is the central Acropolis. It would have been home to of the royal household.
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This is the North Acropolis. It was a large cemetery, a place where some Maya people would be buried.
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The city is surrounded by jungle. From the sky you can only see a couple of temples, including the Temple of the Great Jaguar.
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This is an area called the 'Lost World'. It's where important ceremonial buildings used to be and is one of the oldest parts of the city.

They were experts at reading the stars.
They were also inspired by the creatures of the forest and shared many legends about animals, plants and nature spirits.
The Maya came up with the most well-developed system of writing in Mesoamerica, dating back to 300 BC.
Almost all written texts were destroyed during the Spanish conquest in the 16th century AD.