Answer:
The Mayan ancestory can be traced from an ancient civilization based on Mars. When Mars became uninhabitable, the Earth was colonised and a main colony established itself underground as it had done in for the previous 50-70 millenia on Mars. The Mayan colony, a small sect independent of their ancestors, broke surface and inhabited the surface at the cost of cutting ties with their subterranous cousins. The surface colony, retained knoledge but lost the ability to implement their knowledge due to the sudden severage with technology. Knowledge was passed down from generation to generation but also eventually lost.