Mayan Civilization: People of Mystery (great World History)

The Maya are people of mystery. They mysteriously came and mysteriously disappeared unlike other civilizations of Ancient North America. When the mighty Spanish conquistadors invaded in the 15th Century, they found empty cities. Finely crafted architectural ruins of step pyramids, temples, ball courts, tombs and the artifacts left for us by the Maya still speckle the lowlands of Guatemala and Belize, as well as the higher more mountainous areas that lie to the West. The people of the Mayan civilization had many deities and engaged in human sacrifice. However, it was neither a sport nor so frequent a practice as seen in other cultures. The Maya were true believers in spiritual transformation and a supernatural journey that leads to the heaven-world of Tamoanchan. Thus, a human sacrifice wasn’t considered as final as it does to us of today. Unlike the feudal societies of later civilizations, the female as well as the male played equal roles. Mayan women rulers and warriors were not uncommon.