People say, “Rome was not built in a day.” That means it takes a long time to make something important and lasting. You could say the same thing about the Maya.
The earliest Maya hunted animals and fished. They also gathered wild berries, nuts, and seeds for food. By around 7000 B.C., these traveling groups of Maya began making homes. They lived in caves, rock shelters, and open camps. Things changed slowly over the next several thousand years. They began living a more settled village life. They wore animal-skin clothing and used flint-tipped spears.
As time passed, they built cities. Some were home to as many as 75,000 people. The Maya did great things in the arts, science, architecture, and writing. Their economy grew strong. They built huge palaces, plazas, courtyards, and ball courts. They also put up tall temple-pyramids.
