Maya Food was that of a civilization which, unlike those of the Aztecs and Inca (see aztec food and inca food), had been in severe decline for many centuries before the voyages of Columbus opened the way for the Spanish Conquest. However, the Maya remained an important ethnic group in SE Mexico and C. America, and their history is an important part of American history. Were it not for the fact that all their books but four have perished, and that until very recently it had not been possible to decode their hieroglyphics, much more would be known and written about them.
