Americas Ancient Civilizations

Deep in the jungle, among the rubber trees, the Olmec people lived thousands of years ago. Did you know they were the first to make chocolate? Did you know they loved to play sports? Did you know they were the first people to harvest latex into rubber? Did you know they believed in shape-shifting jaguars and carved huge stone heads? Come meet the Rubber People, and learn their ancient secrets!

Who are the Mayans (MY-anns)? Why are they a mystery? Where did they come from? What did they eat? Why did they build pyramids? What did they predict would happen in the future? Why did the Mayan civilization die out? What can we learn from the ancient Mayans?

Do you use a calendar? Have you ever played basketball? These things were important to the ancient Mayans too. About 4,000 years ago, they invented tools and treasures that still shape our lives. Find out where and how the ancient Mayans lived, and learn about their mysterious disappearance. Discover how they changed the world!

In 2012 especially there was a renewed focus on the Mayans, whose advanced calendar led many to speculate the world would end on the same date the Mayan calendar ends. The focus on the doomsday scenario, however, has overshadowed the Mayans' true contributions to astronomy, language, sports, and art.