Scholars recognize three major periods in Mayan history: the Preclassic (about 800 B.C. until about A.D. 300), Classic (about A.D. 300 to 900) and the Postclassic (A.D. 900 to 1520). In all, the Maya ruled their part of the New World for nearly 2,000 years.
During their political domination of Central America, the Maya developed an intense interest in astronomical phenomena (as did most ancient civilizations and, for that matter, our current civilization). This necessarily led to attempts to predict the occurrence of such natural phenomena as lunar and solar eclipses, the rising and setting of planets, the movement of the Sun and Moon across the sky, and more. As was the case elsewhere in the world, this astronomical interest led, in turn, to the construction of a calendar and the mathematical infrastructure that permitted a calendar to be developed.
A calendar is, to some extent, an attempt to understand nature by seeking some sort of pattern that can be described mathematically. For example, our current calendar describes the length of time it takes the Earth to circle the Sun—a little less than 365¼ days, with corrections such as leap years and other calendar rules.
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