Maya is a branch of ancient India and the only nation in America that left written records. They constitute a diverse Native American people, living in southern Mexico and northern Central America.

Because the Maya and China people are separated by the vast Pacific Ocean, these same or similar characters can't be borrowed from each other, only the remains of the same language. Because of the large number of such words, the corresponding regularity is very strong, so it can not be accidental similarity, but only the display of inevitability.

"Maya" is a general term for convenience, including people who have contributed some cultural and linguistic heritage to this area. But it also includes many different population, social and ethnic groups, all of which have their own special traditional, cultural and historical characteristics.

Since about 2500 BC, the Mayans have settled in southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize and parts of El Salvador and Honduras. About 2 million people use Mayan language, belonging to the Maya-Quiche family of the Indian language family. It is distributed in the central and northern Yucatan Peninsula, Belize, southern Honduras, Tabasco and parts of Chiapas, the lowlands and highlands of Guatemala and the southernmost tip of Chiapas and El Salvador.

Extended data

In BC 1500, the Mayans had settled in villages and developed primitive agriculture based on planting corn, beans and pumpkins. In 600 BC, cassava was planted. The construction of the religious ceremony center began.

In 200 AD, these centers developed into cities with temples, pyramids, palaces, stadiums and squares. Ancient Maya exploited a large number of building stones (usually limestone) and used flint and other hard stone tools to cut stones. It mainly implements slash-and-burn agriculture and adopts advanced irrigation and terrace farming techniques. Developed a hieroglyphic system and a very complex calendar and astronomical system.

Maya used the inner layer of wild fig bark to make paper, and wrote hieroglyphics on books made of this paper. Developed a complex and beautiful tradition of sculpture and relief. Architectural engineering, stone carvings and reliefs are the main sources of knowledge to understand the ancient Maya. The early Mayan culture was influenced by the early Olmec civilization.

Baidu Encyclopedia: The Development of Mayans