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Maya
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Jaguar Temple at Tikal, Guatemala Madrid Codex Wall art
What archaeology reveals about Maya culture
Caracol The Temple of Inscriptions at Palenque, Mexico, a stepped stone pyramid with a grand central staircase, surrounded by dense green forest. Limestone relief showing Shield Jaguar II standing with a spear above his kneeling wife, Lady K'ab'al Xook, both in elaborate Maya dress, with hieroglyphic text above. Stone pyramid temple of Altun Ha in Belize, with wide steps leading up multiple tiers, surrounded by green grass and trees. Mayan ear disks Jaina pottery figurine
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Maya summary
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Chichen Itza. Chichen Itza and the Wall of Skulls (Tzompantli). Ruined ancient Mayan city of Chichen Itza located in southeastern Mexico. UNESCO World Heritage site.
Exploring Latin American History
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Jaguar Temple at Tikal, Guatemala
Jaguar Temple at Tikal, Guatemala Temple of the Jaguar atop Pyramid I at Tikal, Guatemala.

Maya

people
Also known as: Mayan
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Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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•History

Maya, Indigenous people of Mesoamerica occupying a nearly continuous territory in southern Mexico, Guatemala, and northern Belize. In the early 21st century some 30 Mayan languages were spoken by more than five million people, most of whom were bilingual in Spanish. Before the Spanish conquest of Mexico and Central America, the Maya possessed one of the most complex societies in the Western Hemisphere (see pre-Columbian civilizations: The earliest Maya civilization of the lowlands). They practiced...

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