Source: ChichenItzaEquinox, ATSZ56, Wikimedia

Visitors from all over the world come to Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula to see the mysterious pyramid pictured above.  It was created over a thousand years ago, somewhere between 250 and 900 AD.

The pyramid is located in a place called Chichen Itza and was created by a people known as the Maya.  What can we learn about the Maya from this temple, aside from the fact that they could build very large and impressive buildings?

Most people will notice the sculptures of snake heads at the bottom of the temple staircases.  However, look closely at the shadow being cast by the edges of the pyramid.  They actually form the slithery body of a snake, going down to the bottom and connecting to the snake heads!

What this tells us is that the Maya had a very deep understanding of astronomy— they were able to figure out exactly how to position the temple so that the sun would cast a shadow to give the snake heads a body.

Clearly the Maya were one of the most advanced civilizations of their time.  What else did they discover and accomplish?  Let’s find out.

Before we learn more about Mayan civilization, let’s make sure we understand exactly when and where the Maya lived.  The Maya were native to a place we call “Mesoamerica,” which refers to the area of modern-day Mexico and Central America.