The Maya were a Mesoamerican civilization that flourished in the region that is now southern Mexico and the northern regions of Central America, along the present-day Caribbean coastline. While there are indications that there were primitive settlements in the area prior to 2,000 BCE, the Maya civilization did not begin to develop in earnest until approximately 700 BCE. The Maya are known for being one of the major civilizational centers that formed as a direct result of the Neolithic Revolution, and were notable for their rapid development of a sophisticated language, sociopolitical structures, organized religion, and perhaps most importantly, a sophisticated form of irrigation and agriculture. The Maya cultivated several crops, including