Mayan Civilization Research Paper

The Mayan Civilization grew to become one of the most advanced cultures in the Americas through innovation in math, astronomy, architecture, and agriculture.. The civilization was believed to have arisen in 250 A.D, but by 900 A.D., the end of the classical era of Maya civilization occurred. Many of the Maya peoples migrated toward Mexico and the Yucatan Peninsula at this time. The Maya, inhabitants of the Mayan Civilization, lived in an area that encompasses southeastern Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize. The Mayan Civilization was a very advanced civilization, as seen by their achievements in mathematics and astronomy, development of intricate architecture, and their unmatched agricultural advancements. The Mayans used mathematics and astronomy

“Maya agriculture was the foundation of civilization.” The Maya focused early in their civilization food production as that was one of the necessities of life. Agriculture was the easiest means of acquiring food as it was more productive than the hunting and gathering way of life that was used during the Paleolithic Era of the world. Many people believe the Maya used an agricultural technique known as “slash and burn.” However, this technique causes the land to become barren in a few years, and the Mayans had a large population growth which could not have been sustained if they used this technique. “They get 100 percent productivity the first year, 60 percent the next year, and something less than that afterwards. So in three to five years, the land is basically useless, and they have to move on.” The use of this agricultural technique would not be sufficient enough to sustain the large population of the Mayan Civilizations, and as a result, the advanced agricultural techniques used by the Maya peoples are still unknown to this day. (Authentic Maya). Although it is not known how the Mayans grew their crops, they produced large quantities of pumpkins, sweet potatoes, cucumbers, watermelon, chili peppers, tomatoes, chote, avocados, breadfruit, papaya, cotton, tobacco, sweet potatoes, vanilla, cacao, and a wide variety of wild fruit (mayaincaaztec). The ability to produce huge quantities of food crops led to the exponential growth of the Maya, and was one of the main reasons that the Maya became so powerful and advanced. Without having to spend all of their time procuring food, the Maya had more time to further advance their education and