Jungle of Secrets

The Maya were an American Indian people who lived in what is now Mexico and Central America from 250 A.D. to 900 A.D. Many Maya resided in villages, in homes with several relatives, including grandparents and cousins. And like many teens today, young Maya had chores, ranging from cooking to hunting.

The Maya were smart and hardworking. Despite living on hilly, swampy land, they were able to grow everything from corn to avocados. Their medicine workers used herbs to treat the sick. The Maya also get credit for some amazing achievements (see sidebar, below). But the civilization began to collapse about 1,100 years ago, and it’s still a mystery why.

The Maya were an American Indian people. They lived in what is now Mexico and Central America. They lived from 250 A.D. to 900 A.D. Many Maya lived in villages, and were in homes with several relatives, including grandparents and cousins. And, like many teens today, young Maya had chores. Their chores ranged from cooking to hunting.

The Maya were smart and hardworking. They lived on hilly, swampy land. But they were able to grow everything from corn to avocados. Their medicine workers used herbs to treat the sick. The Maya also get credit for some amazing achievements (see sidebar, below). But the civilization began to collapse about 1,100 years ago. It is still a mystery why.

Archaeologists are determined to uncover more about the Maya. The scientists study the past, often by digging in the ground or diving into oceans to examine sites. They unearth bone, pottery, and other artifacts to learn how people lived.

Sometimes an archaeologist’s job is like looking for a needle in a haystack. But technology is giving them new ways to work. Lasers, for example, help them study large regions, even areas hidden by trees.

That’s how researchers found the Maya ruins. Flying in airplanes, they fired special laser beams into the Guatemalan reserve. The information from the lasers helped scientists build a 3-D map. As the map came together, they couldn’t believe what they were seeing.

In addition to homes and tombs, the team found walls and fortresses. This suggests that the Maya were concerned about defending themselves against their enemies.

What’s more, the cities were linked by roadways, which researchers believe were used to carry out trade between regions. That was a surprise to experts, who thought that the Maya lived in mostly isolated communities.

Because of what they learned, scientists now think there may have been as many as 15 million Maya. Previous estimates had put the population at about 5 million. 

Archaeologists are determined to uncover more about the Maya. These scientists study the past. They often dig in the ground or dive into oceans to examine sites. They unearth bone, pottery, and other artifacts to learn how people lived.

Sometimes an archaeologist’s job is like looking for a needle in a haystack. But technology is giving them new ways to work. For example, lasers help them study large regions, even areas hidden by trees.

That is how researchers found the Maya ruins. Flying in airplanes, they fired special laser beams into the Guatemalan reserve. The information from the lasers helped scientists build a 3-D map. As the map came together, they could not believe what they were seeing.

The team found homes and tombs. It also found walls and fortresses. This suggests that the Maya were concerned about defending themselves against their enemies.

What is more, the cities were linked by roadways. Researchers think these were used to carry out trade between regions. That was a surprise to experts. Experts had believed that the Maya lived in mostly isolated communities.

Because of what they learned, scientists now think there may have been as many as 15 million Maya. Previous estimates had put the population at about 5 million.

Researchers are convinced there are other Maya secrets to find. They plan to map more of the reserve soon.

“The impact of this project is just incredible,” says Kathryn Reese-Taylor, a Maya expert at the University of Calgary in Canada. “After decades of combing through the forests, no archaeologists had stumbled across these sites. . . . It really pulls back the veil and helps us see the civilization as the ancient Maya saw it.”

Researchers are convinced there are other Maya secrets to find. They plan to map more of the reserve soon.

“The impact of this project is just incredible,” says Kathryn Reese-Taylor. She is a Maya expert at the University of Calgary in Canada. “After decades of combing through the forests, no archaeologists had stumbled across these sites. . . . It really pulls back the veil and helps us see the civilization as the ancient Maya saw it.”