AI overview
The Maya people are an ethnic group from Mesoamerica (the region spanning from southern Mexico through Central America) with a rich history spanning thousands of years. They matter because they created one of the world's most advanced ancient civilizations, known for achievements in mathematics, astronomy, writing, and architecture, and millions of Maya people continue to live in the region today, maintaining aspects of their cultural heritage.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Article
The Maya area within Mesoamerica Maya (/ˈmaɪə/ MY-ə, Spanish: [ˈmaʝa]) are an ethnolinguistic group of Indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica. The ancient Maya civilization was formed by members of this group, and today's Maya are generally descended from people who lived within that historical region. Today they inhabit southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and westernmost El Salvador, and Honduras.
"Maya" is a modern collective term for the peoples of the region; however, the term was not historically used by the Indigenous populations themselves. There was no common sense of identity or political unity among the distinct populations, societies and ethnic groups because they each had their own particular traditions, cultures and historical identity.