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The Mayan civilization of Honduras made its presence felt as early as 2000-1000 B.C. The Mayas established their first settlements in the regions around what is now called Belize, the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, Guatemala and north Honduras. Evidences suggest that the village of Cuello near the district of Orange Walk in Belize was the location of one of the initial Mayan settlements. Another important center of the civilization flourished in Lamanai, adjacent to the New River. It continued to be of vital importance till about AD 700. Mayan civilization reached its peak during the Classic Period as one of the powerful cities called Caracol established its kingdom in Tikal. There was rise in the population of the region and it emerged as an important region. The Classic Mayan civilization, however, perished under mysterious circumstances. Some scholars attribute this to a series of natural calamities especially droughts. The Mayans believed that the performance of rituals would help in avoiding such catastrophes and did the same. The advanced Mayan civilization thus resorted to a more primitive form of life and retreated to the rural areas. With the arrival of the European navigators on Honduras soil, the Mayan civilization of Honduras faced a tough task of putting up a strong resistance against the intruders.
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