I would think they didn’t necessarily bypass the lands in between. We’re just stuck with the few places where some evidence has been found. In this case, it seems completely reasonable that Mayans might have travelled all over the Caribbean area and pushed up the coast. I suspect that wide travel and trade was wider and earlier than has often been assumed.
I have no problem with extensive trade, but if the Mayans were to establish settlements in North Georgia, why are the not identifiable Mayan ruins near Mobile, Pensacola and Miami?
I would think these are the ruins of the precursor tribes to the Cherokee, Creek and other tribes of Southern US.