What happened to the Mayan civilization, and the Aztecs?

Mayan civilization at its height. Like the Aztec civilization that was to come later, the ancient Mayan civilization was based around city-states. Some of the major cities were Tikal, Copan, Chunchucmil, Bonampak, and Palenque. Long distance trade was developed, and the famous Mayan pyramids (temples) were built. read more

October 6, 2009: For 1200 years, the Maya dominated Central America. At their peak around 900 A.D., Maya cities teemed with more than 2,000 people per square mile -- comparable to modern Los Angeles County. read more

The Maya continued to build cities (albeit on a smaller scale) and write codices up to the arrival of Europeans, and there are still Mayan speakers to this day in southern Mexico and the Yucatan. By contrast, the Aztec triple alliance (which became the Aztec empire) and the Inca empire were both political entities rather than cultures. read more