The Maya Empire was a Central American kingdom that existed between 800 BCE and 1220 CE. It is known for its extraordinarily advanced technology for the time, most notably their use of mush-rooms for housing, their extensive knowledge regarding astronomy, algebra, and geometry, their artistic abilities, and their ability to construct dense urban areas with plumbing systems. The Maya Empire became the Republic of the Maya in 1220 after a lengthy civil war, but the republic only flourished for 30 years before drought turned the political situation sour.