The Classic Maya may be gone, but their descendants, and legacy, remain. After observing the cosmos for centuries, Classic Maya astronomers developed a calendar system so precise as to rival our own. In Copan or Palenque, they may have written the very first solar eclipse tables. Classic Maya pyramids and other architectural marvels display a working knowledge and understanding of solar cycles. The great pyramid at Chichen Itza was designed with 365 steps, and orientated to mark the yearly vernal equinox with a dramatic solar display. The Chan Chich at Caracol appears to be perfectly orchestrated to the winter and summer solstices. And it was not the Romans, Greeks or Egyptians, but the Classic Maya who discovered the concept of zero, and its digitized placement.

Perhaps the most awe-inspiring reminder of this ancient civilization are the multitude of pyramids which still stand, dominating the horizon throughout their territory. In these, there is something unique. Pyramids, as we have come to learn from studying other ancient cultures, like the Egyptians, were for the most part constructed as massive kingly tombs... geared toward a royal's death, and subsequent progression to the afterlife. But although some rulers were entombed in them, for the most part, Classic Maya pyramids were not pyramids for the dead, but Pyramids for the Living.