Search Results: Popol Vuh

The Toltec civilization flourished in ancient central Mexico between the 10th and mid-12th centuries. Continuing the Mesoamerican heritage left to them by earlier cultures, the Toltecs built an impressive capital at Tollan. Ultimately, they...

Chocolate was one of the most desired foods of Mesoamerica and was consumed by the Olmec, Maya, and Aztec civilizations, amongst others. Its consumption even spread via trade routes to other parts of the Americas including the Chaco Canyon...

The ruins of San Gervasio — located on the island of Cozumel in Mexico — were once an important site of pilgrimage to Maya people who lived from c. 1000-1650 CE. A sanctuary of the Maya goddess Ix Chel used to be located at this...

Discovered in 1570 by Diego García de Palacio, the ruins of Copán, one of the most important sites of the Mayan civilization, were not excavated until the 19th century. The ruined citadel and imposing public squares reveal the three main...

The Maya glyph for Tikal. From a stela in the Archaeological Museum of Tikal.

Civilization (from the Latin civis=citizen and civitas=city) is a term applied to any society which has developed a writing system, government, production of surplus food, division of labor, and urbanization. The term is difficult to define...

A map of the principal monuments of the Maya-Toltec city Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Mexico, c. 750-1200 CE.

The Temple of the Warriors at the Maya-Toltec city of Chichen Itza, Mexico. Built between 800 and 1050 CE, the three-level pyramid is so called because of the colonnade of carved warrior and gift-bearer columns on its two sides.

The Castillo or Pyramid of Kukulcan at the Maya (and possibly later Toltec) centre of Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Mexico. The pyramid was a temple built in honour of the Maya feathered-serpent god Kukulkan, pre-11th century CE.

Temple II, Tikal, Guatemala. The temple was used as a tomb, probably for the queen of Maya ruler Jasaw Chan K'awiil (r. 682-734 CE), although, no remains have been discovered. The temple is 42 metres high and faces the larger temple-pyramid...