The cause of the rise of the Maya has long been a controversial topic. Over the last eighty years, studies have been polarized around two contrasting propositions, the “externalist” and the “internalist” models. The first (externalist) view assumes that the lowland Maya experienced an “overt and disruptive” presence at Teotihuacan in the late 4th century AD, which was accompanied by “military incursions if not political domination.” The second (internalist) view interprets the evidence of interaction with foreign sites as a means for Maya elites to distance themselves from the general population and/or legitimize new dynastic lines of government by associating with the powerful foreign city-state of Teotihuacan (Stuart 1996 ). As Braswell (2003, p.7) points out, it is important to note that neither side denies that the interaction took place. Rather, it is the degree of impact that Teotihuacan had on the Maya, that is, the duration of political, social and economic changes, stimulated by foreign interaction. This can be determined from evidence provided by architecture, imported material goods, and iconography. Most of this evidence derives from Teotihuacan, along with the three most powerful Maya city-states at the time of the initial interaction: Tikal, Copan, and Kaminaljuyu. As with all history, the "facts" provided by the evidence are open to any historian's interpretation. The contributors to the volume Highland-lowland Interaction in Mesoamerica: Interdisciplinary Approaches (Miller 1983) provide the basis of opinion "regarding the influence of Central Mexican culture in various parts of the Maya region during the Teotihuacan heyday ” As a result of this work many sc...... half of the article...... The Maya and Teotihuacan Reinterpreting Early Classic Interaction Edited by Geoffrey E. Braswell, University of Texas Press, 2003, p. 273-314 .George L. Cowgill Teotihuacan and the Interaction of the Early Classics: A Perspective from Outside the Maya Region, The Maya and Teotihuacan Reinterpret the Interaction of the Early Classics edited by Geoffrey E. Braswell, University of Texas Press, 2003, p.115-336.Joyce Marcus The Maya and Teotihuacan, The Maya and Teotihuacan Reinterpreting Early Classic Interaction Edited by Geoffrey E. Braswell, University of Texas Press, 2003, p.337-356.Marketonis 15 November 2007: Fire Is Born (Nace el Fuego): The mysterious invader who brought the Mayan Empire much of its splendor, http://thefivesusa.wordpress.com/2007/11/15/fire-is-born-nace-el- fuego-the-mysterious-invader-who-bought-the-mayan-empire-much-of-its-splendor/