Are there mayans left

With their expertise in astronomy and mathematics, the Maya developed a complex and accurate calendar system. Hundreds of restored ancient cities with temple-pyramids, palaces, ball courts, and grand plazas are studied by archaeologists, and are visited by millions of tourists from all over the world each year.

Contemporary Maya live and work near many of these archaeological sites. Beach says better thermometers are making this work easier. Archeologists also look at isotopes from lake sediments and cave deposits to learn more about the climate and are getting — or will soon-be-gettting — better skeletal isotope records and DNA records, which will tell researchers more about that population. This genetic data might provide more insight into family relationships and where the Maya traveled.

Artificial intelligence is another tool that will allow scientists to analyze mounds of data more quickly and precisely, Beach adds, and it is just beginning to make its foray into archeology and Maya studies.

In spite of all these advancements, there's still much to learn from the old fashioned methods, too. One of the things that archeologists value is the ability to meet and speak with the people who live in the sites they work.

Lincoln, who is currently working toward a Ph. Lincoln recalls one instance where a local mentioned that his parents had lived into their hundreds, and credited their keeping of traditional Maya practices for their longevity. Archeologists agree that keeping the past alive through further research will do more than just add color to the history books. Are there things we can learn from the past to make things sustainable today?

Lincoln sees the parallels between dramatic environmental impacts from the Maya and the worldwide issues we face with climate change today. Perhaps the world would be a better place if we learned from the ancient Maya's failures, as well as their successes. Register or Log In. The Magazine Shop. Login Register Stay Curious Subscribe.

However, by the end of the Classic Period, around A. Exactly why any of this transpired, though, is a mystery. Scholars have suggested a number of potential reasons for the downfall of Maya civilization in the southern lowlands, including overpopulation, environmental degradation, warfare, shifting trade routes and extended drought.

Instead, cities in the northern lowlands region, such as Chichen Itza and later Mayapan both located in present-day Yucatan, Mexico , rose to prominence.

The Spanish conquistadores arrived in the early s and the last independent Mayan city, Nojpeten in present-day Guatemala , fell to Spanish troops in The ancient cities were largely forgotten until the 19th century, when their ruins started to be uncovered by explorers and archeologists.