"Learn what those mysterious texts actually say, what those mysterious symbols actually stood for. Learn how the great buildings were actually constructed. The truth, as they say, is out there. You have only to make some effort to find it. From the time the first European foot touched their soil, the Maya have had to fight to hold on to the remnants of their culture. And that struggle still continues to this day. Don't deny them their heritage through ignorance." -Nancy McNelly, a Research Anatomist at Boston University School of Medicine

www.turingmachine.org/~dmg/images/ arte/leonora/mayas.jpg

The Mayas were a fascinating group of people whose influences have marked our modern society in a number of ways. They were an ancient people who had their own complex systems of writing, mathematics, and astronomy. The Maya advances in the areas of architecure, mathematics,and science were so astounding and mysterious that some people believe that they must have had the help of aliens to accomplish it all! You will be investigating certain aspects of the Maya culture in order to answer an essential question: Why were the ancient Maya peoples considered to be one of the most advanced civilizations of the world?