En Español

Journey to Central America to explore one of history's great puzzles.

A lost world lies hidden in Central America. Hundreds of old cities stand in rain forests there. Rain forests are forests that get lots of rain.

Who built the cities? Native Americans known as the Maya did. They have lived in the rain forest for 3,000 years. They once had a huge society. Yet today their proud cities are in ruins.

I went to the ruins of some Maya cities. The cities must have been glorious. Yet they belong to animals now. Parrots fill trees. Monkeys climb around. You have to wonder what happened to the Maya.

Scientists called archaeologists have spent years trying to figure out what happened to the Maya. They explore the ruins and study what the Maya left behind. They also read Maya writing.

Archaeologists now think the Maya faced many different problems. I learned about some of those problems during my visits to Maya ruins.

One visit was to a place called Cancuen. It was a big and busy city until about 1,200 years ago.

Then attackers came. They battled Maya soldiers outside the city. Next they headed to a palace in the city.

I followed the path they took to the palace. You see the ruins of a large pool there. It once held drinking water. Then it became a tomb.

The attackers killed the Maya leaders and threw their bodies into the water. Then they left. They took nothing of value. No one knows who they were or what they wanted. Terrified, the city's people fled.

I learned more when I visited the ruins of Tikal. It was one of the greatest Maya cities. Yet its people ran away too. Why?

Scientists think there was a drought. That is a lack of rain. War may have made the city weak too. Tikal often fought its neighbors.

People may have lost faith in their king. When he could not bring rain or win a war, people became scared. Their society then fell apart.

I wandered among Tikal's ruins. I could picture people leaving—hungry and frightened. They left behind a great city and a great mystery.

Article by Guy Gugliotta. Top-of-page photo by Simon Norfolk. "Maya Mystery" appears on pages 18-23 of the September 2007 issue.