Mayan Civilization, older than it was thought.

[Kukul-Kan]

Maya culture 'ahead of its time'

Exploration of the 2,000-year-old site has caused archaeologists to question the established chronology of the enigmatic Maya civilisation.
The city, Cival, thrived in what is generally considered the "pre-classic" period - but it bore the hallmarks of the more advanced "classic" period.
....

After several seasons of digging, the researchers believe Cival was one of the largest Maya cities of the time. In its prime - between 150 BC and AD 100 - it had a buzzing population of around 10,000. But it was not just the city's size that made it remarkable.
….

Strictly speaking, Cival flourished in the pre-classic period, which stretches from 2000 BC to AD 240. But it was more advanced than pre-classic societies were thought to be.

It had kings, complex iconography, grand palaces, writing and polychrome ceramics: all the hallmarks of the later - and apparently more civilised - classic period.
"It is pretty clear that 'pre-classic' is a misnomer," said Professor Estrada-Belli. "It's very interesting when we reverse some existing ideas. We thought the pre-classic Maya were a relatively simple society - and they were not."

"There was a whole civilization during the pre-classic time we are just beginning to recover," he added.
Professor Fred Valdez, a Maya expert from the University of Texas, Austin, is in strong agreement. "These finds show that Maya civilisation advanced earlier than folks have previously thought," he told BBC News Online. "Classic and pre-classic are unfortunate terms in relation to when civilisation was reached.



news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3693671.stm

[Aria88]

Interesting. If I recall correctly, the Mayan civilization was preceded by the Toltec and that preceded by the Olmec. Does this news impact on the other chronologies?

From perusing some of your posts, I take it your of Euro ancestry. I work with a lot of Mestizos. Speaking some Spanish, I get along pretty well with them, especially when the talk is either culinary or vulgar. I used to get hooked up with great barbaco, tripa and chicharone tacos, but I guess that's Norte cuisine. Any cool cuisine from your region you could recommend?

[SwordandCompass]

www.levity.com/eschaton/Why2012.html
THE HOW AND WHY OF THE MAYAN END DATE IN 2012 A.D.

[Kukul-Kan]

Aria88 said:

Interesting. If I recall correctly, the Mayan civilization was preceded by the Toltec and that preceded by the Olmec. Does this news impact on the other chronologies?

From perusing some of your posts, I take it your of Euro ancestry. I work with a lot of Mestizos. Speaking some Spanish, I get along pretty well with them, especially when the talk is either culinary or vulgar. I used to get hooked up with great barbaco, tripa and chicharone tacos, but I guess that's Norte cuisine. Any cool cuisine from your region you could recommend?

Not really, The Olmecs continue being the oldest civilization in America and the Toltec civ, started after the Mayan one, even though the later Mayan Civilization was indeed influenced by the Toltecs and the Teotihuacans of central Mexico.

Barbacoa is really from central Mexico not from the North. Chicharrón(for those who don’t know what it is, it’s the fried skin of the pig) is originally from central Mexico but it’s eaten everywhere. Tripas are just any kind of guts and are eaten everywhere but varies from place to place obviously.

Not from my region, whose food has been influenced by both internal and external immigrants but I recommend you try Yucatan Peninsula’s food, To me it’s the best in Mexico.

[Aria88]

Yucatan = platanos?