The Mayan civilization produced their own pictographic writing system, studied astronomy, calendar methods, and mathematics. Their cities were consummately designed and they applied themselves wholeheartedly to creating art and architectural wonders such as pyramids and temples. Some time between 800 and 925, however, many thriving Mayan city-states vanished into the uncouth jungle, only to be excavated one after another at the end of the 19th century.
創立象形文字，研究天文、數學、曆法，城市結構完備，致力於藝術創作，興建金字塔、神殿的馬雅文明，在西元八○○至九二五年間，許多繁華的城邦突然消失於叢林草莽中，直到十九世紀末，才陸續被發掘。