The Maya civilization was one of the grandest in the history of the world and the reason for its collapse is still shrouded in mystery, they occupied the eastern third of Mesoamerica, primarily the Yucatan Peninsula.

The time periods that they existed are Pre-Classic B.C.2500

Some of the typical physical characteristics of the Mayan were short in height from 4 ft to 5, straight black hair, painted bodies, tattoos, and flat foreheads.

The Mayan writing, mathematics, and astrology were very advanced. They used pictures to represent ideas, their alphabet was made of pictures not letters.

Their mathematics were more advanced than the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans. Mayan civilization loved to study the movement of the sun, moon, stars, and planets. There were many observatories built.

The Mayan had two calendars one was the Sacred calendar which consisted of 260 days and the Earthly calendar which consisted of 365 days.

The Early Maya were hunters and gatherers. They also used the slash and burn method which means they cut down trees, dried, and then burned them which made ashes which will fertilize the soil. The major food sources were maize, beans, chili, squash, tomatoes, avocado, pumpkin, and cacao.

The most famous ruins of the Mayan cities are Tikal, the largest city, over 100,000 people with eight pyramids, Copan, the second largest city which still has a ballcourt, Chitchen Itza , which has an observatory tower and the "Well of Human Sacrifice".

Mayan fire ceremonies are elaborate and powerful. The effects may not be fully realized for days or months. The experience is essential to understanding Mayan cosmology and involves us in their heartfelt way of worship.

Mayan fire ceremonies are major events, lasting from 2-4 hours, not counting the set-up time. It begins with the invocation of the four directions, then the ancestors, other living Maya clans, places in nature, the elements and, sometimes, every conceivable spirit guide in the universe, regardless of faith, culture or location. Sometimes the tone of the ceremony is somber, other times it may be fun-filled and light. This depends on who is the ceremonial leader, the group of participants and the intention for the ceremony.