Ancient South America

Deep in the jungle, among the rubber trees, the Olmec people lived thousands of years ago. Did you know they were the first to make chocolate? Did you know they loved to play sports? Did you know they were the first people to harvest latex into rubber? Did you know they believed in shape-shifting jaguars and carved huge stone heads? Come meet the Rubber People, and learn their ancient secrets!

Rosalba is a nine-year-old Mayan girl living in rural Mexico. Like her mother and grandmother, she weaves stories of her people onto blouses, ensuring that the age-old traditions continue. But new influences are entering her life. A ladina girl from the city, visiting with her scientist father, passes on the astonishing news that the Mayan calendar predicts the end of the world in 2012. Rosalba knows nothing about that, but her village is faced with a bulldozer tearing through the forest, dying wildlife, and cornfields in danger.

Who are the Mayans (MY-anns)? Why are they a mystery? Where did they come from? What did they eat? Why did they build pyramids? What did they predict would happen in the future? Why did the Mayan civilization die out? What can we learn from the ancient Mayans?

Do you use a calendar? Have you ever played basketball? These things were important to the ancient Mayans too. About 4,000 years ago, they invented tools and treasures that still shape our lives. Find out where and how the ancient Mayans lived, and learn about their mysterious disappearance. Discover how they changed the world!