Let us get this out of the way first: the Mayan and Aztec Pyramids were not built by aliens, nor were they given the knowledge of astronomy by them. The Maya learned these things themselves, separate from so-called “advanced” civilizations. But, that doesn’t stop ignorant or deliberately racist people from trying to promote that idea to this day. It sounds ridiculous, especially after the “ominous” ancient calendar that ended in 2012 was proven to be just that, a long calendar. I just believe the Maya were confident of their civilization surviving far into the future, and the calendar was made long for that reason.

What better represents the Maya is their amazing feats of engineering, multiple cities, comprehensive crop setup, and especially their understanding of time and the stars. They designed their great pyramid to the feathered serpent god, Kukulcan, at Chichen Itza with 365 steps, and at each equinox the sun sets directly aligned with the structure, making the light look like a serpent slithering down. They developed the game of Ring Ball, where one wouldn’t use their hands to get a really heavy rubber ball into a hoop to win a game, and the losers were sacrificed.

As to how their culture affects our own to this day, I would say on the periphery in the United States. Most people know about the Maya due to the supposed “doomsday prophecies” made over a decade ago involving the end of their centuries old calendar. Also, the concept of human sacrifice in religious ceremony is rather well known, but in modern times is very much frowned upon. For me personally, their ruins and the history surrounding the mysterious nature of their collapse has arguably influenced some of the greatest adventure stories ever made, especially ones set in the jungle. Even though their empire has long faded, their presence in our minds remains. In Mexico its a protected part of their identity, and there are actually native Maya who still exist, some even practicing the less murderous rituals of ages past.