Archaeological evidence shows the Maya had started to build ceremonial architecture by approximately 1000 BCE. There is some disagreement about the boundaries which differentiate the physical and cultural extent of the early Maya and their neighboring Pre-Classic Mesoamerican civilizations, such as the Olmec culture of the Tabasco lowlands and the Mixe-Zoque– and Zapotec–speaking peoples of Chiapas and southern Oaxaca. Many of the earliest significant inscriptions and buildings appeared in thi ...

Including:

• Maya civilization - Origins
• Maya civilization - Art
• Maya civilization - Architecture
• Maya civilization - Urban design
• Maya civilization - Building materials
• Maya civilization - Building process
• Maya civilization - Notable constructions
• Maya civilization - Writing and literacy
• Maya civilization - Writing system
• Maya civilization - Writing tools
• Maya civilization - Scribes
• Maya civilization - Literacy
• Maya civilization - Mathematics
• Maya civilization - Religion
• Maya civilization - Agriculture
• Maya civilization - Decline of the Maya
• Maya civilization - Rediscovery of the Pre-Columbian Maya
• Maya civilization - List of Maya sites
• Maya civilization - Most important sites
• Maya civilization - Other important Maya sites
• Maya civilization - Reference

Read more here: » Maya civilization: Encyclopedia - Maya civilization

See also:

Maya civilization, Maya civilization - Origins, Maya civilization - Political structures, Maya civilization - Art, Maya civilization - Architecture, Maya civilization - Urban design, Maya civilization - Building materials, Maya civilization - Building process, Maya civilization - Notable constructions, Maya civilization - Writing and literacy, Maya civilization - Writing system, Maya civilization - Writing tools, Maya civilization - Scribes, Maya civilization - Literacy, Maya civilization - Mathematics, Maya civilization - Religion, Maya civilization - Agriculture, Maya civilization - Decline of the Maya, Maya civilization - Rediscovery of the Pre-Columbian Maya, Maya civilization - List of Maya sites, Maya civilization - Most important sites, Maya civilization - Other important Maya sites, Maya civilization - Reference

Read more here: » Maya civilization: Encyclopedia II - Maya civilization - Agriculture

The ancient Maya had diverse and sophisticated methods of food production. It was formerly believed that slash and burn (swidden) agriculture provided most of their food but it is now thought that permanent raised fields, terracing, forest gardens, managed fallows, and wild harvesting were also crucial to supporting the large populations of the Classic period in some areas. Indeed, evidence of these different systems persist today: raised fields connected by canals can be seen on aerial photographs, contemporary rainforest species compositio ...

See also:

Maya civilization, Maya civilization - Origins, Maya civilization - Art, Maya civilization - Architecture, Maya civilization - Urban design, Maya civilization - Building materials, Maya civilization - Building process, Maya civilization - Notable constructions, Maya civilization - Writing and literacy, Maya civilization - Writing system, Maya civilization - Writing tools, Maya civilization - Scribes, Maya civilization - Literacy, Maya civilization - Mathematics, Maya civilization - Religion, Maya civilization - Agriculture, Maya civilization - Decline of the Maya, Maya civilization - Rediscovery of the Pre-Columbian Maya, Maya civilization - List of Maya sites, Maya civilization - Most important sites, Maya civilization - Other important Maya sites, Maya civilization - Reference

Read more here: » Maya civilization: Encyclopedia II - Maya civilization - Agriculture

Chaac (also rendered as Chaak or Chac) is an important deity in the pantheon of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization in Mesoamerica. In Maya mythology, Chaac was the god associated with rain and thunder, and was also significant in rites and observances associated with fertility and agriculture. Like some other Maya gods, Chaac was sometimes thought of as one god, and other times as 4 separate gods based in the four cardinal directions: "Chac Xib Chaac", Red Chaac of the East; "Sac Xib Chaac", White North Chaac; "Ek Xib Chaac" Black West Chaac", and ...

Read more here: » Chaac: Encyclopedia - Chaac

Maya mythology refers to the pre-Columbian Maya civilization's extensive polytheistic religious beliefs. These beliefs had most likely been long-established by the time the earliest-known distinctively Maya monuments had been built and inscriptions depicting their deities recorded, considerably pre-dating the 1st millennium BC. Over the succeeding millennia this intricate and multi-faceted system of beliefs was extended, varying to a degree between regions and time periods, but maintaining also an inherited tradition and customary obs ...

Including:

• Maya mythology - Overview
• Maya mythology - The Creation Myth
• Maya mythology - Notable Gods
• Maya mythology - Bacabs
• Maya mythology - The First Humans
• Maya mythology - The Men
• Maya mythology - Their Wives
• Maya mythology - Gods and Supernatural Beings
• Maya mythology - Locations
• Maya mythology - Reference

Read more here: » Maya mythology: Encyclopedia - Maya mythology

The Maya calendar is actually a system of distinct calendars and almanacs used by the Maya civilization of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica. These different calendars tracked observable phenomena such as the solar year, the lunar year, and the synodic period of the planet Venus; others had a divinatory or ritualistic purpose without any known association to natural cycles. These calendars could be synchronised and interlocked in complex ways, their combina ...

Including:

• Maya calendar - General overview
• Maya calendar - Maya concepts of time
• Maya calendar - Tzolk'in
• Maya calendar - Divination
• Maya calendar - Origin of the Tzolkin
• Maya calendar - Haab
• Maya calendar - Wayeb
• Maya calendar - Calendar Round
• Maya calendar - Long Count
• Maya calendar - Calculating Long Count dates
• Maya calendar - Calculating the Tzolkin date portion
• Maya calendar - Calculating the Haab date portion
• Maya calendar - End of the world?
• Maya calendar - Venus cycle

Read more here: » Maya calendar: Encyclopedia - Maya calendar

Coba (Cobá in the Spanish language) is a large ruined city of the Pre-Columbian Maya civilization, located in the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico. It is located about 90 km east of the Maya site of Chichen Itza, about 40 km west of the Caribbean Sea, and 44 km northwest of the site of Tulum, with which it is connected by a modern road. Coba - The Ancient City. Coba is located around five small lagoons. A series of elevated stone and plaster roads called radiate from the central site to various ...

Including:

• Coba - The Ancient City
• Coba - Modern Explorations of Coba

Read more here: » Coba: Encyclopedia - Coba

The Pre-Columbian city now known as Copán is a locale in extreme western Honduras, in the Copán Department, near to the Guatemalan border. It is the site of a major Maya kingdom of the Classic era. The kingdom, anciently named Xukpi (Corner-Bundle), flourished from the 5th century AD to the early 9th century, with antecedents going back to at least the 2nd century AD. Its name is an apparent reference to the fact that it was situated at the far southern and eastern end of Maya territory. The nearby modern village of Copán Ruinas itself may ...

Including:

• Copán - Description of the ruins
• Copán - Pre-Columbian history
• Copán - List of known Xukpi rulers
• Copán - Copán in modern times

Read more here: » Copán: Encyclopedia - Copán

Mesoamerica is the region extending from central Mexico south to the northwestern border of Costa Rica that gave rise to a group of stratified, culturally related agrarian civilizations spanning an approximately 3,000-year period before the European discovery of the New World by Columbus. Mesoamerican is the adjective generally used to refer to that group of Pre-Columbian cultures. This refers to an environmental area occupied by an assortment of ancient cultures that shared religious beliefs, art, architecture, and technology that made them exc ...

Including:

• Mesoamerica - Bibliography

Read more here: » Mesoamerica: Encyclopedia - Mesoamerica

Yucatán is the name of one of the 31 states of Mexico, located on the north of the Yucatán Peninsula. The term The Yucatán is also used in Mexico to refer to the three states on the peninsula: Yucatán, Campeche, and Quintana Roo; all three modern states were formerly part of the larger historic state of Yucatán in the 19th century. This Mexican state borders the states of Campeche to the south west, Quintana Roo to the east and southeast ...

Including:

• Yucatán - History
• Yucatán - Prehistory
• Yucatán - Pre-Columbian era
• Yucatán - Arrival of the Spanish
• Yucatán - Independence and the turbulent 1840s
• Yucatán - Mid 19th century through mid 20th century
• Yucatán - Late 20th century: An end to relative isolation
• Yucatán - Footnotes

Read more here: » Yucatán: Encyclopedia - Yucatán

Total (2003 E) Density 279,457 (July 2005 est.) 13/km² Belize is a small nation on the eastern coast of Central America, on the Caribbean Sea bordered by Mexico to the northwest and Guatemala to the west and south. The country is a parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy which recognizes Queen Elizabeth II as Sovereign. The nation of Honduras is a near neighbour, 75 km away (47 miles) across the Gulf of Honduras to the east. The name is derived from the Belize River which Belize Cit ...

Including:

• Belize - History
• Belize - Politics
• Belize - Districts
• Belize - Geography
• Belize - Economy
• Belize - Demographics
• Belize - Culture
• Belize - Miscellaneous topics

Read more here: » Belize: Encyclopedia - Belize

Chiapas is a state in the southeast of Mexico. Chiapas is bordered by the states of Tabasco to the north, Veracruz to the northwest, and Oaxaca to the west. To the east Chiapas borders Guatemala, and to the south the Pacific Ocean. Chiapas has an area of 73,887 km² (28,528 square miles). The 2003 population estimate was 4,224,800 people. The state capital city is Tuxtla Gutiérrez; other cities and towns in Chiapas include San Cristóbal de las Casas, Comitán, and Tapachula. Chiapas is also home to the ancient Maya ruins of Palenque ...

Including:

• Chiapas - History of Chiapas
• Chiapas - Islam in Chiapas
• Chiapas - External links on Muslim conversions
• Chiapas - Municipalities
• Chiapas - Mormonism

Read more here: » Chiapas: Encyclopedia - Chiapas

A principality is a monarchial feudatory or sovereign state, whose monarch is a prince or princess. The term is also sometimes used as a general term for other small sovereign states led by lesser royalty, as for instance grand duchies, whose monarch is a Grand Duke or Duchess. No sovereign duchy currently exists, but Luxembourg is a surviving example of a sovereign grand duchy. Principalities have existed in ancient and modern civilizations of Africa, Asia (the Indian princely states were ruled by kings called Princes by the B ...

Including:

• Principality - Development
• Principality - Renaissance
• Principality - Consolidation
• Principality - Nationalism
• Principality - Micronations claiming to be principalities

Read more here: » Principality: Encyclopedia - Principality

The term Arawak (from aru, the Lokono word for cassava flour), was used to designate the friendly Amerindians encountered by the Spanish in the Caribbean. These include the Taíno, who occupied the Greater Antilles and the Bahamas (Lucayan), the Nepoya and Suppoyo of Trinidad and the Igneri who were supposed to have preceded the Caribs in the Lesser Antilles, together with related groups (including the Lokono) which lived along the eastern coast of South America as far south as what is now Brazil. The group belong ...

Read more here: » Arawak: Encyclopedia - Arawak

Ahimsa is a religious concept which advocates non-violence and a respect for all life. Ahimsa (अहिंसा ahiṁsā) is Sanskrit for avoidance of himsa, or injury. It is interpreted most often as meaning peace and reverence toward all sentient beings. Ahimsa is the core of Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism. Its first mention in Indian philosophy is found in the Hindu scriptures called the Upanishads, the oldest dating about 800 BCE. Those who pra ...

Including:

• Ahimsa - Ahimsa in Jainism
• Ahimsa - External links and references in Jainism
• Ahimsa - Ahimsa in Hinduism
• Ahimsa - Yoga
• Ahimsa - Gandhi

Read more here: » Ahimsa: Encyclopedia - Ahimsa

The Neolithic, (Greek νέος (neos) = new + λίθος (lithos) = stone, or "New" Stone Age) was a period in the development of human technology that is traditionally the last part of the Stone Age. The name was invented by John Lubbock in 1865 as a refinement of the three-age system. The term is more commonly used in the Old World and its application to cultures in the Americas and Oceania is problematic. It follows the terminal Pleistocene Epipalaeolithic and early Holocene Mesolithic periods, beginning ...

Including:

• Neolithic - Origins and regional development
• Neolithic - Social organization
• Neolithic - Farming
• Neolithic - Technology

Read more here: » Neolithic: Encyclopedia - Neolithic

The Vedic civilization is the Indo-Aryan culture associated with the Vedas, the earliest known records of Indian history. Mainstream scholarship places the Vedic civilization into the 2nd and 1st millennia BC, many Hindu scholars date its beginnings as early as the 7th millennium BC based on astronomical information in the Vedas, genetics, horse bones findings in Harappan places that suggest a Vedic way of living before 2000 BC,and the reference to a big Saraswati river in Rig Veda which proves Vedic people were there before it decrea ...

Including:

• Vedic civilization - Overview
• Vedic civilization - Rigvedic period
• Vedic civilization - Political organization
• Vedic civilization - Society and economy
• Vedic civilization - Vedic Religion
• Vedic civilization - The later Vedic period
• Vedic civilization - Kingdoms
• Vedic civilization - Society

Read more here: » Vedic civilization: Encyclopedia - Vedic civilization

The scope of this indigenous peoples of the Americas article encompasses the definitions of indigenous peoples and the Americas as established in their respective articles. Indigenous peoples of the Americas - Early history. See also: Archeology of the Americas, Models of migration to the New World Indigenous peoples of the Americas - The Bering Strait Land Bridge Theory. Based on anthropological and genetic evidence, scientists generally agree that most indigenous ...

Including:

• Indigenous peoples of the Americas - Early history
• Indigenous peoples of the Americas - The Bering Strait Land Bridge Theory
• Indigenous peoples of the Americas - European colonization of the Americas
• Indigenous peoples of the Americas - United States
• Indigenous peoples of the Americas - Canada
• Indigenous peoples of the Americas - Mexico
• Indigenous peoples of the Americas - Belize
• Indigenous peoples of the Americas - Guatemala
• Indigenous peoples of the Americas - Brazil
• Indigenous peoples of the Americas - Argentina
• Indigenous peoples of the Americas - Other parts of the Americas
• Indigenous peoples of the Americas - Statistics on indigenous populations
• Indigenous peoples of the Americas - Cultural aspects
• Indigenous peoples of the Americas - Gender
• Indigenous peoples of the Americas - Music and art
• Indigenous peoples of the Americas - Controversial terminology
• Indigenous peoples of the Americas - Canada and the North
• Indigenous peoples of the Americas - Latin America

Read more here: » Indigenous peoples of the Americas: Encyclopedia - Indigenous peoples of the Americas

El Petén was already the site of ceremonial architecture by the Maya civilization around 500 BC. El Mirador is El Petén's most important Pre-Classic Maya site; other important sites from this era include Cival. Later El Petén became the heartland of the Maya Classic Period (c. 200 – 900). At its height around 750 it is estimated that El Petén was home to several million people, being one of the most densely populated regions of the world at the time. Some areas are estimated to have had 1,000 people/km². Agriculture was very extensive ...

See also:

Petén department, Petén department - History, Petén department - Municipalities

Read more here: » Petén department: Encyclopedia II - Petén department - History

Many sociologists and anthropologists have created social theories dealing with social and cultural evolution. Some, like Lewis H. Morgan, Leslie White, and Gerhard Lenski, declare technological progress to be the primary factor driving the development of human civilisation. Morgan's concept of three major stages of social evoluton (savagery, barbarism, and civilization) can be divided by technological milestones, like fire, the bow, and pottery in the savage era, domestication of animals, agriculture, and metalworking ...

See also:

History of technology, History of technology - By period and geography, History of technology - Early technology, History of technology - Prehistoric times, History of technology - Ancient Egypt, History of technology - Tribal Europe, History of technology - Ancient Rome, History of technology - Ancient India, History of technology - Ancient China, History of technology - Medieval China, History of technology - Inca, History of technology - Maya, History of technology - European, History of technology - Measuring technological progress, History of technology - By type of technology, History of technology - History of biotechnology, History of technology - History of civil engineering, History of technology - History of communication, History of technology - History of computing, History of technology - History of consumer technology, History of technology - History of electrical engineering, History of technology - History of energy technology, History of technology - History of materials science, History of technology - History of medicine, History of technology - History of military technology, History of technology - History of nuclear technology, History of technology - History of scientific technology, History of technology - History of timekeeping, History of technology - History of transport technology, History of technology - Related history, History of technology - Related disciplines, History of technology - Related subjects, History of technology - Future of science and technology speculative, History of technology - People, History of technology - Historiography of science and technology, History of technology - Historians of science and technology, History of technology - Journals and periodicals in the history of science and technology, History of technology - Research institutes

Read more here: » History of technology: Encyclopedia II - History of technology - Measuring technological progress