Like the Olmec before them, the early Maya practiced the slash-and-burn method of clearing land, cutting down larger vegetation with stone tools and burning away underbrush. They grew a variety of crops: maize (corn), beans, squash, avocados, tomatoes, and chili peppers.
Agriculture made possible the creation of urban areas, which originated as ceremonial centers—that is, places for worship—but also became home to large populations. The oldest
Mayan city dates back to about 2000 B. C., and later became the site of Merida (MAY-ree-thah), established by the Spanish in 1542.
One of the most notable Mayan cities was Tikal (tee-KAHL) in northern Guatemala. Probably founded in the third century a. d., Tikal thrived from 600 to 900, and became home to some 50,000 people—huge by the standards of premodern America. The city included a school where scholars studied astronomy and other disciplines. Among the structures of interest found at Tikal were agricultural earthworks and canals, fortifications against invasion, and—sixteen miles to the northwest—an impressive pyramid with four staircases.
The city of Uxmal (uz-MAHL) near Merida, which flourished at the same time as Tikal, may have been a center for priestesses who led the people in fertility rites associated with the rain god Chac. Palenque (pah-LING-kay), where archaeologists in 1952 found the tomb of a Mayan ruler from the 600s, was said to be the most beautiful of Mayan ceremonial centers, as well as a center of scientific study that included a seven-story tower for astronomical observations.
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