Indian culture in Central America
The Mayan culture originated around 2000 BC and existed until the arrival of the Spanish. Many Mayatalen are still spoken today. Mayan culture can be found in Honduras, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador and Mexico. In 1839, when an American traveller and an English architect and draughtsman made an illustrated account of their visit to a number of Mayan cities, this brought about a strong interest in Mayan culture after years of oblivion. The Maya made particularly accurate astronomical observations and had an accurate and intricate calendar. The writing of the Maya consists of ideographic signs (image caption). Because virtually all the Mayan documents were burned as pagan and reprehensible during the Spanish conquest, and the only remains consist of inscriptions on buildings and stones, the deciphering of the writing has still not been fully successful.
