The Maya civilization is a historical Mesoamerican civilization, noted for the only known fully developed written language of the pre-Columbian Americas, spectacular art and architecture, and sophisticated mathematical and astronomical systems. The Classical period of the Maya civilization extended from 250 to 900 CE. At its zenith it was one of the most densely populated and culturally dynamic societies in the world. The area of the Maya civilization extended throughout the northern Central American region which includes the present-day nations of Guatemala, Belize, western Honduras and El Salvador, as well as the southern Mexican states of Chiapas, Tabasco, and the Yucatán Peninsula states of Quintana Roo, Campeche and Yucatán. The Maya civilization shares many features with other Mesoamerican civilizations, because there was a high degree of interaction and cultural diffusion throughout the region. Advances such as writing and the calendar did not originate with the Maya, however their civilization fully developed these. Maya influence can be detected as far afield as central Mexico, more than 1000 km from the Maya homeland. Many outside influences are to be found in Mayan art and architecture, thought to be mainly a result of trade and cultural exchange, rather than direct external conquest. The Mayan peoples never disappeared, neither at the time of the Classic period decline or with the arrival of the Spanish conquistadores and the subsequent Spanish colonization of the Americas. The Maya remain in contemporary Mesoamerican societies, and maintain a distinctive set of traditions and beliefs, combined with more recent practices such as the almost total adoption of Roman Catholicism. The Mayas and their descendants form sizeable populations throughout the region formerly occupied the states of the ancient civilization. Many different Mayan languages continue to be spoken as the primary language. Source Wikipedia