The
Maya civilization was a
Mesoamerican civilization developed by the
Maya peoples, and noted for its
hieroglyphic script—the only known fully developed
writing system of the
pre-Columbian Americas—as well as for its
art,
architecture,
mathematics, and
astronomical system. The Maya civilization developed in an area that encompasses southeastern
Mexico, all of
Guatemala and
Belize, and the western portions of
Honduras and
El Salvador. This region consists of the northern lowlands encompassing the
Yucatán Peninsula, and the highlands of the
Sierra Madre, running from the Mexican state of
Chiapas, across southern Guatemala and onwards into El Salvador, and the southern lowlands of the Pacific littoral plain.