Of Motorways and Mayan Temples What do motorway bypasses and
Mayan temples have in common? Both are the manifestations of a
highly developed culture, but they are also a symbol of the
inherent weakness of two very different societies. The city
states of the Maya people flourished in central America between
250 AD and 900 AD. They were not the first nor were they the
last civilisation to rise and fall in the region, but they have
left us some of the most elaborate and puzzling ruins. From the
moment the first Europeans set eyes on the huge pyramidal
temples deep in the jungles of Mexico and Guatemala mystery has
surrounded the decline of Maya society. But, over the years,
archaeologists, historians and other academics have slowly
pieced together the factors that led to entire cities being
abandoned to the forces of nature. Mayan cities centralised
power on vast temple complexes that kept subjects in their
thrall with elaborate and grisly rituals. The land surrounding
these temple cities was cleared of the jung