map of the Maya empire
The Maya Empire was based in the Yucatan peninsula where it flourished from 300 B.C.E to 900 C.E.
Maya cities
The Maya had cities all over the Yucatan peninsula where the Maya empire was based in. They reigned over the Yucatan peninsula for many years, and this gave them a lot of time to build many small city states all over the peninsula. Two of the most important cities were
1) Tikal- Tikal was considered a very major city for the Maya civilization. This city flourished from 600 B.C. to A.D.900. Tikal was spread over 50 square miles of land, and held an estimated population of nearly 100,000. This city also had two temples facing one another, this made Tikal unique, because most cities only had one temple and the plaza was around that, while the plaza was in between the two temples of Tikal.
2) Copan- This was another one of the major cities in the ancient Maya culture. Copan is known for the Maya artwork that is there, it has a special place for researchers because it has one of the biggest collections of Maya artwork in one place. Its height was from A.D 426 to 820. Copan is also home to the longest known Maya inscription, containing 2,000 glyphs.
1) Tikal- Tikal was considered a very major city for the Maya civilization. This city flourished from 600 B.C. to A.D.900. Tikal was spread over 50 square miles of land, and held an estimated population of nearly 100,000. This city also had two temples facing one another, this made Tikal unique, because most cities only had one temple and the plaza was around that, while the plaza was in between the two temples of Tikal.
2) Copan- This was another one of the major cities in the ancient Maya culture. Copan is known for the Maya artwork that is there, it has a special place for researchers because it has one of the biggest collections of Maya artwork in one place. Its height was from A.D 426 to 820. Copan is also home to the longest known Maya inscription, containing 2,000 glyphs.