Map Of The Maya Civilization With Countries

Ah, the Maya. While medieval Europe was still arguing about whether bathing was a scandal, the Maya were busy inventing the concept of zero, plotting the movements of Venus with terrifying accuracy, and building pyramids that would make any modern architect weep into their hard hat. But if you fancied hopping on a plane to visit them (ignoring the small issue of them having peaked between roughly 250 and 900 AD), where exactly would you go? Grab your imaginary passport and a comically oversized map, because we're about to chart the Maya world across the countries that house it today.

The Grand Maya Map: Five Countries, One Spectacular Civilisation

First up, Mexico, the heavyweight champion of Maya real estate. The Yucatán Peninsula is absolutely stuffed with Maya wonders, including Chichén Itzá, a city so impressive that tourists queue for hours in 40-degree heat just to sweat profusely next to it. Then saunter south to Guatemala, home to Tikal, where pyramids poke triumphantly out of the jungle canopy like ancient skyscrapers with excellent views and no lifts. Next, the plucky underdog Belize, which may be small but boasts Caracol, a city that once dwarfed modern Belize City in population. Rounding off the roster are Honduras, keeper of the magnificent Copán with its glorously carved stelae, and El Salvador, proudly hosting the site of Joya de Cerén, the "Pompeii of the Americas", where an entire village was flash-fried by volcanic ash whilst dinner was still on the stove. Talk about leaving things until the last minute!

The Maya Were Colour-Coding Their Journals Before It Was Cool

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