The moment
Maya kings built temple-cities such as Tikal, Palenque and Copán and recorded their dynasties in hieroglyphs on carved stone. Rulers and queens drew their own blood as offerings to the gods, and priests kept a 260-day ritual calendar alongside the solar year. After about 900 the great southern lowland cities emptied, but Maya cities in Yucatán flourished for centuries more, and Maya people still live across the region today, where highland day-keepers keep the 260-day count.
People: Lady K'abal Xook