Mayas

[ (meye-uhz) ]


A Native American people, living in what is now Mexico and northern Central America, who had a flourishing civilization from before the birth of Jesus until around 1600, when they were conquered by the Spanish. The Mayas are known for their astronomical observations, accurate calendars, sophisticated hieroglyphics, and pyramids.

Words Nearby Mayas

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

How to use Mayas in a sentence

  • The devil,” says Cogolludo of the Mayas, “is called by them Xibilha, which means he who disappears or vanishes.

    The Myths of the New World | Daniel G. Brinton
  • During his sojourn among the Mayas he had learned to speak their language fluently.

    South American Fights and Fighters | Cyrus Townsend Brady
  • The Mayas were at one time governed by a king who reigned supreme over the whole of Yucatan.

  • Their descendants live in Yucatan, and the early monuments of the Mayas are found in that country and its neighborhood.

    Mexico | Susan Hale
  • Progreso and Mérida were visited, and our work was done upon the Mayas living near the town of Tekax.

    In Indian Mexico (1908) | Frederick Starr