Mun gabatar da tarihin wannan al'adar wacce yankin tasirin ta ya hada da jihohin Yucatan, Campeche, Quintana Roo, Chiapas da wani yanki na Tabasco, a Jamhuriyar Mexico, da Guatemala, Belize da wasu sassan Honduras da El Salvador.
A cikin wani yanayi mai ban mamaki da wadataccen yanayi wanda aka samar da manyan dazuzzuka wadanda ke karbar ruwan sama mai yawa; da manyan koguna kamar su Motagua, da Grijalva da Usumacinta; ta hanyar sarƙoƙin tsaunuka masu asali, da tabkuna masu ƙyalƙyali da dazuzzuka masu kauri, da kuma yankuna masu faɗi waɗanda kusan babu rafuka ko ruwan sama amma tare da rafuffuka marasa adadi da maɓuɓɓugan ruwa da aka fi sani da cenotes, sun zauna a zamanin pre-Hispanic, wajen 1800 BC, a kusa da Kabilu 28 da suka yi magana da yarurruka daban-daban (kamar Yucatecan Maya, Quiché, the Tzeltal, the Mam da the K'ekchi '), kodayake dukkansu sun fito ne daga dunkule ɗaya, kuma sun haɓaka babban al'adu wanda ya wuce lokaci da sarari ta halittunsa na ban mamaki da ban mamaki: wayewar Mayan.
Yankin kusan 400,000 km2 ya hada da jihohin Yucatán, Campeche, Quintana Roo da wasu sassan Tabasco da Chiapas a Jamhuriyar Mexico, da Guatemala, Belize, da wasu sassan Honduras da El Salvador. Wadata da ire-iren yanayin kasa ya yi daidai da na kayan sa'a: akwai manyan kuliyoyi kamar jaguar; dabbobi masu shayarwa kamar su birai, barewa, da tarko; nau'in kwari da yawa; abubuwa masu rarrafe masu haɗari kamar su Nauyaca viper da kuma rattlesnake na wurare masu zafi, da kyawawan tsuntsaye irin su quetzal, macaw da harop mikiya.
Wannan yanayin ya bambanta a cikin zane-zane da kuma addinin Mayans. Teku, tabkuna, kwaruruka da duwatsu sun ba da ra'ayinsa game da asali da tsarin sararin samaniya, tare da ƙirƙirar sanya wurare masu tsarki a tsakiyar garuruwanta. Taurari, galibi Rana, dabbobi, tsirrai da duwatsu sun kasance a gare su bayyanar ikon allahntaka, waɗanda kuma aka haɗa su da mutum ta hanyar samun ruhu da wasiyya. Duk wannan yana nuna kyakkyawar alaƙa tsakanin mutum da yanayi, alaƙar girmamawa da jituwa bisa la'akari da haɗin kan sararin samaniya wanda yake kuma shine asalin al'adun Mayan.
Mayans sun tsara jihohi masu zaman kansu masu ƙarfi, waɗanda manyan mashahuran mashahuran zuriya suka mulki waɗanda suka kasance ƙwararrun politiciansan siyasa, jarumawa jarumai kuma, a lokaci guda, manyan firistoci. Sun nuna kyakkyawar kasuwanci kuma sun raba tare da sauran jama'ar Mesoamerican noman masara, bautar gumaka na ba da haihuwa, al'adun sadaukar da kai da sadaukar da kai na mutane, da gina matakan dala, tare da sauran al'adun. Hakanan, sun haɓaka tunanin lokaci da tsarin tsarin zama wanda ke jagorantar rayuwar duka: kalanda biyu, rana ɗaya na kwanaki 365 da kuma al'ada guda 260, an haɗu don samar da zagayowar shekaru 52.
Amma ƙari, Mayans sun ƙirƙiri ingantaccen tsarin rubutu a Amurka, suna haɗa alamun sauti da alamomin akida, kuma sun yi fice wajen ilimin lissafi da ilimin taurari, tunda sun yi amfani da darajar alamun da sifili tun farkon zamanin Kiristanci, wanda ya sanya su a matsayin masu ƙirƙirar ilimin lissafi a duniya. Da kuma ɗaukar lokacin wani abin almara kamar yadda "kwanan wata ya kasance" ko farawa (Agusta 13, 3114 BC a kalandar Miladiyya) sun rubuta kwanan wata tare da daidaitaccen abin mamaki a cikin hadadden tsarin da ake kira Initial Series, don barin amintaccen rubutaccen tarihin su. .
Mayaka kuma sun yi fice a tsakanin sauran mutanen Mesoamerican don kyawawan gine-ginensu, da dutsen da aka yi wa kwalliya da zane-zane, da kuma zane-zane na musamman, wanda ke nuna su a matsayin mutane masu zurfin tunani. Wannan an tabbatar dashi ne a cikin tatsuniyoyin su na duniyan, wanda a duniya aka halicce shi don mazaunin maza, kuma na karshen don ciyarwa da girmama alloli, ra'ayin da ya sanya mutum a matsayin wanda aikin sa na al'ada ya inganta daidaito da wanzuwar sararin samaniya. .
Babban wayewar kan Mayan ya gushe daga masu nasara daga Spain a tsakanin 1524 da 1697, amma harsuna, al'adun yau da kullun, al'adun addini kuma, a takaice, tunanin duniyar da Mayan tsoffin suka kirkira, ko ta yaya sun rayu a cikin zuriyarsu a lokacin zamanin mulkin mallaka da kuma wanzuwa har wa yau.
