Maya

The Mayans are an indigenous peoples from Central America, particularly Mexico and the Yucatán peninsula.

History

During the Age of Discovery, Hernán Cortés came into contact with two Spaniards, Gonzalo Guerrero and Gerónimo de Aguilar, living with the Mayans. The two men spoke the Mayan language, which would allow them to translate, in tangent with a native Aztec speak, what Cortés wished to say.

By 1715, the Aztecs and Mayans had come into contact with the Assassins and, thanks in part to a mutual wish for freedom from oppression, formed an alliance of sorts. Such was the unity that a number of natives had joined the Order, including Ah Tabai - a Mayan who had obtained the rank of Mentor, and chosen to headquarter the local Assassins in the Mayan city of Tulum. Another Mayan settlement, Chichen Itza, was built on top of a First Civilization temple.

By the later part of the 18th century, the Templars were transporting slaves from Cuba and Louisiana to excavate the site, though their prize, the Prophecy Disk, was ultimately claimed by the Assassin Aveline de Grandpré in 1772.

The sword of the privateer William Kidd was hidden in the ruins of Cerros, modern day Belize, before being recovered by Ratonhnhaké:ton in 1774.

Trivia

• The Mesoamerican Long Count calendar was the inspiration for the December 21, 2012 date of the catastrophe that Desmond Miles works to prevent in the games.