The Maya

The Maya are found in the tropical southern Mesoamerican lowlands, inhabiting the modern day countries of Mexico, Guatemala, Belize and Honduras.

Forest gardener Zacarias Quixchan cherishes his mahogany tree. Photo by Macduff Everton

This region has undergone many changes over the ages. We often think of the rainforest as untouched by humans, or “virgin forest.” In reality, it is the product of millennia of management; it is important to consider the relationship of the Mesoamerican Forest to the Maya civilization, as they have influenced each other over thousands of years.

The tropical Maya forest emerged around 8,000 years ago at the same time humans were expanding over the lowlands. Mobile groups left few traces. Mesoamericans, as with all Native Americans, based agricultural strategies on plants and the local ecology; they did not need draft animals or the plow that were introduced with the European conquest. They domesticated their landscape while encouraging its maintenance. Resource management systems integrated

• nuances of the hills
• qualities of the swamps
• importance of the wildlife
• the value of diversity

This relationship to the landscape was integral to the development of the Maya civilization and is practiced among traditional farmers today.

The Maya

• The Ancient Maya
• Spanish Conquest
• Maya Today