The Mayans have a very historical inheritance in the many ruins scattered throughout the world. Tourists from all over are experiencing first hand a part of history that just inexplicably baffles the mind, as even today, historians cant seem to agree on the precise cause of the demise of the Maya Indians. There are various tribes that comprise the Mayan community, of which their language is still spoken, although English is also practiced.
Origination
All inhabitants of the Americas are thought to have originally migrated across the Bering Straits when the level of the oceans dropped enough to form a land bridge between Alaska and Siberia. These foraging nomads migrated throughout North America and eventually down through Central and South America.
The archaeological record shows evidence of the first Maya people as early as 1100 BC. These pioneers descended into the Copan Valley in Honduras from either the Guatemala highlands or another nearby mountainous region and made temporary camps in the known Maya region. Early Maya inhabitants hunted local game and developed agricultural subsistence techniques until about 900 BC. Around this time, the first true farmers of the Maya people built permanent residences in the valley (Schele and Freidel 1990: 306-307).
About 4000 BC, these people had spread out over the highland areas of Central America and soon reached a population size where they began to form small settlements and domesticate plants
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