The Classic Maya Collapse: New Evidence on a Great Mystery

The Maya of the Classic Period 150-900 CE created one of the most dynamic and successful societies of the ancient Americas. Millions of people inhabited thousands of settlements, divided among more than a hundred kingdoms. By controlling water resources and terraforming the landscape they developed an agricultural system that supported a ruling class of king and, nobles, as well as strata of artists, architects, potters, merchants, and warriors. But at about 800 things began to go seriously wrong and within a century all their great cities were abandoned, never to be reoccupied. One of the great problems of world archaeology, this catastrophe has never lacked theories, what it lacked was hard facts pointing to an explanation. But today we might finally be close to understanding what happened and laying a mystery to rest.
Simon Martin, Ph.D., Adjunct Associate Professor, Anthropology, Curator, American Section, Penn Museum

Пікірлер: 219

  • @BlueBaron3339
    @BlueBaron3339 Жыл бұрын

    This parallels the thinking among scholars who study the collapse of Mediterranian civilization around 1170 BC who originally blamed it all on some vague group of "Sea Peoples" rather than as multiple failure systemic disintegration. Cities were abandoned then too. Some of them forever. But looking at the ruins of major cities won't tell you much. In the case of the Maya, often they'd find public monument work simply abandoned, unfinished. Workers just walking away with no trace of unrest in the city at all. They seem to be on the right track now. Quite fascinating!

  • @davidmilton5887

    @davidmilton5887

    4 ай бұрын

    Wrong. The Mayans fell to the Conquistadors in 1524. The last Mayan stronghold,Nojpeten,fell to the Spaniards in 1697. Stop believing lies that are spread via the media. The media has an anti-"black" agenda to adhere to. Yes,racism in media is a major part of society.

  • @christophertar6808
    @christophertar68083 жыл бұрын

    This style might actually be better than Penn's usual format, the sound and visuals are much clearer. More like this please.

  • @partneanderthal2679

    @partneanderthal2679

    8 ай бұрын

    What he said 😊

  • @catherineladd5300
    @catherineladd53002 жыл бұрын

    That was excellent. The use of Lidar has changed the old narrative of over population and climate stress to reveal the Mayan's super sophisticated agricultural production capable of feeding populations of 10 million.

  • @davidmilton5887

    @davidmilton5887

    4 ай бұрын

    No,it wasn't. Simply more attempts at white washing history. The Mayans were "black" people,very dark skinned at that.

  • @aninewforest
    @aninewforest Жыл бұрын

    The jungle is itself an ancient, sophisticated civilization, which human presence degraded. Deforestation invariably leads to reduced rainfall and higher temperatures. However successful this Mayan system was at its peak, when they cleared thousands of square km of a fragile rainforest ecosystem to plant their monocultures, the clock began ticking towards its inevitable collapse.

  • @albertomartinez2479
    @albertomartinez24793 жыл бұрын

    Simon. Great analysis. Usually Mayan subject matter video is accompanied by a series of unrelated video of random Mayan structures. Great presentation. Hoping for more in the future. Thank you.

  • @hollowstarfire

    @hollowstarfire

    3 ай бұрын

    haha it's like they think we need jingleing keys to absorb to information. I'd much rather visuals that reiterate the information being said

  • @pcatful
    @pcatful3 ай бұрын

    I traveled to some Mayan areas. I am in love with their artwork.

  • @gpottslaw
    @gpottslaw3 жыл бұрын

    Fantastic. Great gift for hobbiest scholars with its depth and detail. Penn Museum is my new favorite.

  • @jerrymachusak3216
    @jerrymachusak32163 жыл бұрын

    I'm a mere layman, but Simon Martin's presentation is fantastic!

  • @collinoneil3398
    @collinoneil33983 жыл бұрын

    That is an amazing presentation, with so much new information. I've often wondered why some royalty used prosthetic noses to accentuate its hook. But maybe the prosthetics were worn by the new elite from the west, those with very different features, and the prosthetic was used to simply make them look like traditional Maya. Anyways, thanks for your great work!

  • @davidhoogendyke2774
    @davidhoogendyke27743 жыл бұрын

    Fantastic presentation and it all fits together very well. So much more to explore thanks to LIDAR!.

  • @garyk.nedrow8302
    @garyk.nedrow83023 жыл бұрын

    Congratulations to Dr. Martin on a clear, factual, and comprehensive video explaining the history of the classic Maya period and its collapse. At a time when "political correctness" has distorted the findings of scholars in anthropology and archaeology, it is refreshing to find real scholarship based on facts and solid research. The very rapid collapse of the Maya civilization parallels that of other cultures in other parts of the world, which should serve as a cautionary note to our own civilization: what seems to be a fixed, almost eternal, society can change with startling swiftness, whatever the precipitating cause. Note particularly the rapid loss of the ability to write the ancient Maya language (stela carved with replications of the appearance of the ancient words, but lacking any meaning). In our own civilization, we may be seeing something similar today with the shift from printed to electronic media and the de-emphasis in Academia on classic texts, producing secondary teachers with little or no appreciation for Chaucer, Milton, and Shakespeare and students with an increasingly limited ability to write and speak English precisely and logically. Incidentally, Dr. Martin's book, Ancient Maya Politics, is available at Barnes and Noble for about $82 for those with an interest; the price reflects, no doubt, the publisher's estimation of the relatively small market for a book so specialized. [Note: I am not affiliated with Dr. Martin or the publisher; I simply appreciate sound scholarship when I find it. It has become all too rare in this field.]

  • @aninewforest

    @aninewforest

    Жыл бұрын

    @Gary K. Nedrow Every generation selects what it considers "classics" vs. "degraded", popular or subversive literature, based on their values and interests. Works in one category shift to the other and back again. Shakespeare was considered lowbrow, popular entertainment in its day. Now it's elevated and canonical.

  • @Tamara07
    @Tamara072 жыл бұрын

    This is the best explanation I've found so far for a research paper I'm writing for my anthropology class. It's very easy to become disoriented in a sea of information and sources. This is an excellent place to begin learning about the Maya civilization.

  • @JJONNYREPP

    @JJONNYREPP

    8 ай бұрын

    The Classic Maya Collapse: New Evidence on a Great Mystery 26.10.23 0925am he seems to be explaining a central american reformation... wealth stys with nobles as opposed to a kingly class.

  • @JJONNYREPP

    @JJONNYREPP

    8 ай бұрын

    The Classic Maya Collapse: New Evidence on a Great Mystery 1303pm 26.10.23 are they slashing and burning the rainforest to clear land to utilize..? i would have thought they would have utilized the trees to use as building materials... i dont think it's on a par with the mass industrial clearances which take place nowadays - so they can clear forest for cattle ranches...

  • @davidmilton5887

    @davidmilton5887

    4 ай бұрын

    ​@JJONNYREPP Wrong. The Mayans were conquered by The Conquistadors in 1524. The DeAlvarado Brothers led the attack. The last Mayan stronghold,Nojpeten,fell in 1697 to the Spaniards.

  • @admaga
    @admaga3 жыл бұрын

    Extremely informative. Thank-you!

  • @QuaaludeCharlie
    @QuaaludeCharlie3 жыл бұрын

    Love the Lidar , Great tool . Still sad to wonder why they are gone . The Locals share a Huge amount of DNA and the Maya Look . I hope the Locals Thrive :) QC

  • @OuterHeaven210

    @OuterHeaven210

    3 жыл бұрын

    Hey QC please tell me what it was like, an anecdote even, of what quaalude was like? I am sad that I will never get to try it.

  • @r.bevantrembly3687
    @r.bevantrembly36873 жыл бұрын

    I’m disappointed no one speculated on the life style of the masses. Were they driven to exhaustion by grinding labor? Were they regimented in chain gains? What was their family life? Was there a rigid class structure? Did they build temples, homes for the elite out of worship, money, fear? What did they eat for protein to propel them to prodigious labor?

  • @domestique3954

    @domestique3954

    3 жыл бұрын

    Sorry,but our time machine is unfortunately defect.... 😩

  • @OuterHeaven210

    @OuterHeaven210

    3 жыл бұрын

    I’ve always wondered what a day in the life of an average Mayan couple was like. What did the man do to relax? What were the women up to for work? What was the average Joe doing for work?

  • @kira_draws_and_digs

    @kira_draws_and_digs

    3 жыл бұрын

    The history of Mesoamerican. civilizations is not so well know. There is a lot to discover and to study. With new technologies we can learn way more from even tiny evidence, so I'm personally quite optimistic about it. By the way, there are around 7mln Maya today, so we can watch them and check what non-european food they eat. they definitely ate corn, squash and turkey- this is for sure.

  • @teresafernandez9849

    @teresafernandez9849

    2 жыл бұрын

    There is evidence of parks, and recreation places, the propaganda has been so evil from day one! Ppl lived in homes, traded, in many ways the Americas Natives were more advanced than others. The conqueror conquered with the bible in one hand and a bloody sword in the other. Make them look like undeserving savages so we won't be judged for the biggest human genocide in the history of mankind!! Seems like they are sticking to the conspiracy!!

  • @L.P.1987

    @L.P.1987

    2 жыл бұрын

    I hope there were no mayan Karens

  • @willhouse
    @willhouse Жыл бұрын

    Seriously fascinating stuff... especially given all the varied current & imminent stresses threatening today's societies!

  • @jrileycain6220
    @jrileycain62202 жыл бұрын

    Absolutely fascinating. Thank you so much.

  • @6milphil975
    @6milphil9753 жыл бұрын

    Most enjoyable, thanks.

  • @lakrids-pibe
    @lakrids-pibe3 жыл бұрын

    Nice presentation. There was fewer technical issues than usually in the auditorium. Hehehe!

  • @robspecht9550

    @robspecht9550

    3 жыл бұрын

    Yes, this was missing something... a hollow audio sound and video camera shot of a presentation screen :)

  • @dixieboy5689
    @dixieboy56893 жыл бұрын

    What great presentation of one of the most amazing societies ever. Thank you. USA

  • @albertomartinez2479
    @albertomartinez24793 жыл бұрын

    Simon. Fascinating presentation.

  • @jk7140
    @jk71402 жыл бұрын

    "This is gobbledygook" huh? I love how there's no expectation the listener would be incredulous at this. Maybe we only deciphered Maya "English" and that was written in Maya "Estonian"? It suggests a similar script, different language type situation.

  • @JohnDoe-420

    @JohnDoe-420

    2 жыл бұрын

    Seems extremely likely when paired with other signs of foreign occupation and "transliteration" of foreign words in Maya script discovered in the talk

  • @joshmann2525
    @joshmann25253 жыл бұрын

    This is fascinating, thank you for your research and dedication.

  • @DMinam
    @DMinam3 жыл бұрын

    Very interesting!

  • @jorgearango6108
    @jorgearango61083 жыл бұрын

    Extraordinary!

  • @massimosquecco203
    @massimosquecco2033 жыл бұрын

    Great and exhaustive Lecture, really plausible theories, (I should look for your book...) but it remains a question open: who were those new kings and where they came from? Thanks anyway for this excellent video-report.

  • @teresafernandez9849

    @teresafernandez9849

    2 жыл бұрын

    Those "new" kings were from the Americas, the leadership was passed by family ties or earned it! No different than the rest of the world and other cultures!

  • @nunyanunya4147
    @nunyanunya41472 жыл бұрын

    first dude is giving me some serious brian blessed vibes. always a good sign :)

  • @jgrau5089
    @jgrau50893 жыл бұрын

    At 23.20, the carved face at the center reminds me more of the Toltecas, a group that built Teotihuacan Near Mexico City. Their height as a civilization came around the same time as the Mayan's, and their fall and demise happened also at the same time, 700-900 AC...

  • @asianthor

    @asianthor

    3 жыл бұрын

    The Toltecas/Toltecs came way after the Teotihuacan civilization.

  • @OuterHeaven210

    @OuterHeaven210

    3 жыл бұрын

    asianthor who built teotihuacan?

  • @MH-ms1dg

    @MH-ms1dg

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@OuterHeaven210 short answer: we don't know (not aliens, we don't know which specific people constructed/dominated the city)

  • @alfredobarragan2788

    @alfredobarragan2788

    Жыл бұрын

    Toltecs didn't build that pyramid moron they found Zapotec, Maya and some Toltec art style and later on the Aztecs started to build on top of it's ruins so it was built by multiple groups but they found evidence that the Maya has something to do with it Teotihuacan vs Tikal Guatemala search that up

  • @pythonhighadder7982
    @pythonhighadder7982 Жыл бұрын

    @56:21 Caracol Altar 13 -- Depicts 3 people: a person stands and watches another person flogging the third person who is kneeling between them - this is no altar this is a stone whipping post as found in Ireland with the holes in them is where they used to chain up slaves at local sales. This stone is a place of public floggings.

  • @semiramis47
    @semiramis473 жыл бұрын

    absorbing presentation

  • @nowthenzen
    @nowthenzen Жыл бұрын

    The more we learn the more we realize there is a whole bunch we dont know

  • @RaimoKangasniemi
    @RaimoKangasniemi3 жыл бұрын

    The silence in Tikal between 810 and 869 can be misleading. Beyond dated monuments from that period that could still be found in unexcavated ruins, it already went through a major period of silence between 562 and 695 when it was politically in the defensive. That wasn't sign of system-wide collapse, but local political fortunes and whatever economic results that had.

  • @teresafernandez9849

    @teresafernandez9849

    2 жыл бұрын

    If that info is from USA archiologists, it's probably big fat BS!!

  • @pythonhighadder7982
    @pythonhighadder7982 Жыл бұрын

    @11:14 ok wow that stone is a great find would love to see exact location of that find and send out to locate possible others nearby. This stone is a log of the specific area's annual happenings on a twelve-month system. Each of those are like a kanji or cartouche and the top is referred to birds in the heaven and serpents on the earth like the wings, disk and serpent on Official monuments of Egypt. So, this stone would have been recorded by an official scientist/park ranger/scout type and placed as Official statement of month-by-month account of weather and animal crossings/spawns. Awesome thank you.

  • @robertsitler1
    @robertsitler13 жыл бұрын

    Excellent. I look forward to sharing this with my class

  • @morriganmhor5078
    @morriganmhor50782 жыл бұрын

    Aren´t those "Nahua" names of Toltec origin? If I remember correctly, there existed some older theory about Toltecs conquering at least Chichen Itza - so the could area of their conquest could have been larger?

  • @alhesiad
    @alhesiad3 жыл бұрын

    Very informative.

  • @LotsofStuffYT
    @LotsofStuffYT3 жыл бұрын

    The amount of lye they made to create their cites was enormous. They had to remove the entire jungle around their cities. This caused the Lye to flow into the jungle areas as well making the ground completely infertile.

  • @timcoil6224

    @timcoil6224

    3 жыл бұрын

    Yet the ruins that had been covered in lye were found almost completely covered in jungle vegitation. The entire Yucatan is covered in jungle vegitation under which lies coral and caliche. Time for a new theory.

  • @morriganmhor5078

    @morriganmhor5078

    2 жыл бұрын

    I saw here some videos about lidar research. There were no jungles at Yucatan at the time of Mayas. The same as in Amazonia, where at 1541-2 Francisco de Orellana observed "cities and fields". And those were found.

  • @martyjansing2675

    @martyjansing2675

    2 ай бұрын

    Hydrated lime was employed. Not lyé. Lime mortar is produced by heating lime stone to 800 -900 degrees c for 10 -12 hours. Richard Hanson of the Maridor project has worked out that it would take a 1,000 acres of green timber to produce enough lime to stucco one large structure. And there were many. And they put a new face often.

  • @jodilla2
    @jodilla23 жыл бұрын

    Very interesting and compelling research Mr. Simon. There are many theories about it; but in this regard, I think that the words of Federico Nietzsche apply here: "Success is accompanied by the seed of its decline." Perhaps we need to study more about the extraordinary success to understand the decline of this unique civilization. Greetings ...

  • @JJONNYREPP

    @JJONNYREPP

    8 ай бұрын

    The Classic Maya Collapse: New Evidence on a Great Mystery 1332pm 26.10.23 looks like simon has taken on the mantle, previously well held by the BBC Horizon tv show, of 'we don't know what happened' after covering a vast array of data...kindda highlights or even outdoes the much maligned anticlimax of any pointless cinematic experience... well done, sir. not to disparage you but to point out we thought we might be learning something of import, here. if you have the resources and/or cash you might be able to discern something for yourself re: collapsing civilizations within the americas - otherwise it seems to be a case of bear with me....

  • @myboloneyhasafirstname6764
    @myboloneyhasafirstname67643 жыл бұрын

    Gobbledegook monuments! Never heard of these before. So interesting.

  • @jerryg3524

    @jerryg3524

    3 жыл бұрын

    Daniella, a word of friendly advice, never brag about ignorance; be humble and try to learn and better yourself

  • @stevarnamik2233

    @stevarnamik2233

    3 жыл бұрын

    and remember people who tell others to be humble are definitely not themselves

  • @jerryg3524

    @jerryg3524

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@stevarnamik2233 and remember, ignorance is nothing to feel proud about

  • @kristianfagerstrom7011

    @kristianfagerstrom7011

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@jerryg3524 Personally, I find feigning knowledge to be worse than bragging about ignorance. Also, semantics matter. Bragging and admitting to, are two very different things. @Daniella Hamilton admitted to ignorance, which is a quality if anything. Frankly, scolars that admit to ignorance are the better ones, and the ones that feign knowledge are the ones bad for science. But proud people, often prefer to do the wrong thing, than admit to ignorance. The good thing is, that one can take their advice at face value. I mean, we all know that free advice is worth every penny.

  • @jerryg3524

    @jerryg3524

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@kristianfagerstrom7011 I think you & the others who made comments here may have failed to notice that what Daniella Hamilton wrote is quite racist and offensive to Maya & other Amerindian civilizations. We not only stole their lands & slaughtered them like flies but not satisfied now relentlessly continue to belittle their culture. Yes, they had a primitive religion, but so did most people in the ancient world, including Moses. It's just infuriating to read or hear someone today calling Maya buildings gobbledygook, or nonsense architecture, an architecture which a great modern architect such as Frank Lloyd Wright respected and learnt from.

  • @Eljefe003
    @Eljefe0033 жыл бұрын

    I’ve heard the Itzas mentioned, also was this not also the time of the rise of the Aztecas(900ce)?

  • @alfredobarragan2788

    @alfredobarragan2788

    Жыл бұрын

    Ok the Mayans went to war with the Aztecs the itza build chichen itza ( the most famous Maya pyramid in Mexico but another Maya group forced them out and the itza Maya retreated to Guatemala more specifically Flores Guatemala and to Belize

  • @mathewwinney8036
    @mathewwinney80363 жыл бұрын

    The numbers on the stones maybe calculated correctly, but, how do we really know when they were carved?

  • @chronosschiron
    @chronosschiron3 жыл бұрын

    hi from canada great knowledge

  • @Henrikbuitenhuis
    @Henrikbuitenhuis3 жыл бұрын

    Thanks so much

  • @mayalaluna4005
    @mayalaluna40052 жыл бұрын

    i am watching a video of maya calendar right after this, while i was questioning why Maya collapsed in 910AD, besides of the proposed theories, is it possible 910AD is a specific year in Mayan calendar? and because of its significance, Maya did something intentionally, though it didn't explain why they would abandon their projects not finished, because they should know in advance...

  • @salinagrrrl69
    @salinagrrrl693 жыл бұрын

    I winder if history...rhymes for the Maya. Like the Bronze Age collapse was there a similar deal to the Maya? A sea people or their version anyway?

  • @bcarnett5930

    @bcarnett5930

    3 жыл бұрын

    They wanted social justice

  • @georgejarmanprice4492
    @georgejarmanprice44923 жыл бұрын

    Possibly 10 million people living in the area that's mental! 🤯

  • @theCosmicQueen

    @theCosmicQueen

    Жыл бұрын

    it was a very large area, all suburban, with great weather for growing things. each household was able to grow a lot of their own foods.

  • @j.e.hernandez9721
    @j.e.hernandez972110 ай бұрын

    Great information and presentation but please get better internet connections so that we don't have intermitten pauses every 5 seconds. I don't want to have to put together information via conjecture.

  • @praveenb9048
    @praveenb9048 Жыл бұрын

    The fake writing at 11:00 reminds me of those T-shirts with weird text in a language different from the country of origin.

  • @katrussell6819
    @katrussell68193 жыл бұрын

    Enjoyed this presentation. Reminded me that I had a vision in meditation at Copan back in the 80s where I saw a Mayan woman (Queen?) with an elaborate hairdo and a large red shawl standing on a platform in profile. Below her many people were waving their arms and shouting praise to her. Then it changed. The arms turned into flames. She panicked and dropped her shawl and ran away to the left naked. It seemed to me at the time that the end of Copan was revolution of some kind. So there you have it. Absolutely no evidence, just a vision. Thought I would share.

  • @AWildBard
    @AWildBard3 жыл бұрын

    I'm in Korea! Don't leave me out. haha

  • @denisecarson4073
    @denisecarson40733 жыл бұрын

    Steve, where in the name of all that is Holy, are you broadcasting from???

  • @barbarachurchill5304

    @barbarachurchill5304

    3 жыл бұрын

    Philadelphia

  • @hypnos2367
    @hypnos23673 жыл бұрын

    I was hoping to learn something about the extensive led contamination of the watersources in the cities that has been detected recently. Does this mean, that the contamination had no influence on the collapse of the civilization ? Or am I misinformed ?

  • @sallys4474

    @sallys4474

    3 жыл бұрын

    Um um um.

  • @regulate.artificer_g23.mdctlsk

    @regulate.artificer_g23.mdctlsk

    Жыл бұрын

    You mean lead?

  • @jonglewongle3438
    @jonglewongle34382 жыл бұрын

    There was an ongoing migratory feed from mesoAmerica into the eastern half of North America. No doubt in the Universe about that. The end of the Mayan era occurs just as the Mississippian era begins. That is no idle coincidence.

  • @morriganmhor5078

    @morriganmhor5078

    2 жыл бұрын

    But there are no data about Maya pressing north to central Mexico and more, or are they?

  • @teresafernandez9849

    @teresafernandez9849

    2 жыл бұрын

    No data, but a whole bunch of Maya in México, And Belize!! They are not extinct by no means!!

  • @theCosmicQueen

    @theCosmicQueen

    Жыл бұрын

    @@teresafernandez9849 ok but Mississippian is North in the USA.

  • @lakrids-pibe
    @lakrids-pibe3 жыл бұрын

    The study of epidemiology is going to be a big thing in archeology in the near future. For reasons....

  • @timcross2510

    @timcross2510

    3 жыл бұрын

    Vikings brought disease.

  • @juliotoru

    @juliotoru

    3 жыл бұрын

    We have a future ?

  • @timcross2510

    @timcross2510

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@juliotoru ,maybe not you. But loving, positive people using the gift of itelligence that God gave them, will learn the best lessons from the past - not only to have a future, but to have a better future for everyone.

  • @regulate.artificer_g23.mdctlsk

    @regulate.artificer_g23.mdctlsk

    Жыл бұрын

    COVID-19 reference!

  • @dancummane3668
    @dancummane36683 жыл бұрын

    i didnt know Darren Clarke did a history show.....

  • @tylerwertman1720
    @tylerwertman17203 ай бұрын

    did you hust say its hard to grow food in the jungle?

  • @silberlinie
    @silberlinie3 жыл бұрын

    Wir sprechen uns in 600 Jahren wieder. Dann sehen wir die gleiche Zustände, wenn wir uns nach NY City begeben. Und die staunenden Ausgräber und die Touristen wollen es glauben, dass es hier eine der bedeutensten technischen Zivilisationen der Erde gegeben haben soll.

  • @jameswyatt5859
    @jameswyatt58593 жыл бұрын

    I cant believe the glyphs don't tell the story. Well, I guess they tell quite a lot, don't they, ha!

  • @SG-js2qn
    @SG-js2qn3 жыл бұрын

    The Mayan collapse occurs at the same time as the Medieval Warming Period. Climate shifts often lead to migrations and power struggles.

  • @MR-lx3nm
    @MR-lx3nm Жыл бұрын

    Steve!!!🤦🏼‍♂️ My Man! They make virtual backgrounds for this reason specifically! Looking like you locked yourself in some Mexican banjero!

  • @AntzLoks1314
    @AntzLoks1314 Жыл бұрын

    Antz-that-crawls-on-the-ground

  • @williamkuhns2387
    @williamkuhns23872 жыл бұрын

    At least in part the Maya collapse was man-made climate change caused in part by cutting the forest for miles around the classic cities for charcoal to fuel the kilns to make limestone plaster. At the Maya peak there is decadence in massive building projects where princes and kings are competing with eachother who can build the most magnificent temples. It is believed that at the time of cultural apogee if you could have seen these cities there would be no trees to the horizon. Cities could view eachother from miles distance. Cutting down the trees would cause a drought and the underground water wells would eventually be used up. No rain means no crops to feed the city population and then the royalty starts to make sacrifices out of desperation. The common people would be going hungry and would point the blame on the royalty as they were supposed to be able to appease the gods but are not doing their job. The masses revolt, war breaks out with neighboring cities for dwindling resources. Without servants the royal families fall and the domino effect happens. The cities are abandoned and the common people spread out across the landscape and start over again to the Maya desendents of today. If you haven't yet Jared Diamond's book Collapse is a great read!

  • @cavemancaveman5190
    @cavemancaveman51903 жыл бұрын

    please tell us when the grave looting started. they got there first. lidar shows the looters ditches

  • @jennjenny1984
    @jennjenny19843 жыл бұрын

    Yeah right

  • @brazmunk9
    @brazmunk93 жыл бұрын

    The Mayan "ARE" Spiritual Nature-based people they ARE lead by High Priests who ARE the CHIEFS of their people.

  • @shadetreader
    @shadetreader Жыл бұрын

    Interesting how historians typically equate the end of brutal arbitrary rule with "decline".

  • @theCosmicQueen

    @theCosmicQueen

    Жыл бұрын

    exactly, i thought that too. or even fewer people, it's not really decline. it might be mobility. Maybe someone got rid of the oppressive ruling officials and everyone was fine with it.

  • @luckyblockyoshi

    @luckyblockyoshi

    7 ай бұрын

    Well yeah it’s the decline of the status quo, like how you might describe the decline of the Nazis or the decline of the British colonial empire. It really doesn’t have the connotation you think it does.

  • @juanpabloesal7854
    @juanpabloesal78543 жыл бұрын

    the sound is terrible... echa a perder todo lo que dice el señor.

  • @chrislecky710
    @chrislecky7102 жыл бұрын

    I'm 40, so far no one at all has presented themselves as anyone of any kinda significance, so there is no point attempting to return to anyone i have known in the last 40 years with an expectation that they will become anyone significant. This realisation has created a set of obvious solutions that are available to me given my constraints. I will go it alone here on out. thanks but no thanks.

  • @LotsofStuffYT
    @LotsofStuffYT3 жыл бұрын

    Did the Maya know how to make Terra Preta?

  • @patrickbass3542

    @patrickbass3542

    3 жыл бұрын

    Obviously NOT!

  • @theCosmicQueen

    @theCosmicQueen

    Жыл бұрын

    what's that?

  • @smde1
    @smde13 жыл бұрын

    It is my un-informed opinion that the real reason that the Maya civilization collapsed is: The peasants all decided that the endless rituals and endless building projects were simply requiring too much of their time and they abandoned the cities and the culture and returned to the jungles and lived simple , peaceful lives. I also believe that we are witnessing a similar corollary to this in the modern world. The endless manufactured crises and contrived social justice context has become too ridiculous to support and functioning humans are looking for alternatives.

  • @jamesparkinson7328
    @jamesparkinson73283 жыл бұрын

    OMG that beard makes Dr. Tinney look like a Fallout character. I know the world is ending but woof

  • @oliversmith9200
    @oliversmith92003 жыл бұрын

    Ye Gods! What LIDAR [spelling?] shows!

  • @johnadams5245
    @johnadams52453 жыл бұрын

    the video/audio is so choppy penn museum, u must be in 1995 with dialup and netzero

  • @exactam0

    @exactam0

    3 жыл бұрын

    Someone is downloading torrents?🤭

  • @patrickbass3542
    @patrickbass35423 жыл бұрын

    As Simon wavered between slight drowsiness, sheer boredom and outright disdain of his introduction we the viewers wondered "Where is this going?"!

  • @jerryg3524

    @jerryg3524

    3 жыл бұрын

    he just looked tired to me. it is evidently news for someone like you but academic research is very very tiring

  • @flyingjunkies

    @flyingjunkies

    2 жыл бұрын

    Watch at 1.25x Speed and the pacing is better.

  • @fraserwing8744
    @fraserwing87442 жыл бұрын

    Skip to 2:40 to get on with it

  • @InfiniteUniverse88
    @InfiniteUniverse883 жыл бұрын

    Was there only one city that had a wall being built?

  • @leahjunck
    @leahjunck3 жыл бұрын

    I believe that these people and many others passed due to a worldwide catastrophe.

  • @donattridge1356
    @donattridge13562 жыл бұрын

    I MIGHT BE LESS EDUCATED..WOULD LIKE SOME DISCUSSION OF DEFINITION OF HOW 290 CE RELATES TO THE OLD BC AND ALSO TO AD..BECAUSE JUST PHOTOS INSTEAD OF SOME FILMING MAKES IT A LITTLE LESS INTERESTING

  • @Mpowell919
    @Mpowell9193 жыл бұрын

    As an LDS person I was interested to learn about the 'Pa" name prefix that was described. In the Book of Mormon there are people mentioned named Pacumeni, Pahoren, and Paanci. Coincidence? maybe...

  • @brandonwilson5311
    @brandonwilson53112 жыл бұрын

    @ 1:10 WHY DOES THE CUP HAVE A GUY WITH A MUSTACHE AND BEARD???

  • @theCosmicQueen

    @theCosmicQueen

    Жыл бұрын

    they were visited by old world people, and also they called viracocha a god, it was a bearded person who came to them.

  • @brandonwilson5311

    @brandonwilson5311

    Жыл бұрын

    @@theCosmicQueen this i know, so where from? Why are they finding DNA from the Black sea in Peru? I guess what Im saying is, either europeans were visiting the americas, God, or Aliens with beards.

  • @theCosmicQueen
    @theCosmicQueen Жыл бұрын

    all it took was one boat blown off course, of Old World sailors, with disease: to start a deadly epidemic of people who have not developed resistance.

  • @Istehomo
    @Istehomo3 жыл бұрын

    Is Steve in a broom cupboard?

  • @user-vz8zj1xs5g
    @user-vz8zj1xs5g13 күн бұрын

    ||| wasser

  • @nibiruresearch
    @nibiruresearch2 жыл бұрын

    The history of the indigenous peoples in the Americas is much, much older than a few thousand years. We judge the Maya, Aztecs, Inca’s and others on the traces that we find. But when we dig our way from the present to the past, we must know that the Earth is suffering from a cycle of recurring natural disasters. That is told in the Popol Vuh. These disasters create a cycle of civilizations. There are four primitive civilizations. Sometimes mentioned a sun or world era. The next civilization lives in the fifth sun. This becomes eventually a high developed civilization that disappeared 20,000 years ago. Then the cycle starts again. During the first 4 suns the people were guided by alien deities. Also at the start of the fifth sun. At a certain moment in time, those deities leave the people alone. Led by fanatic priests, the people start offering more and more often and from fruits and animals, they started offering children and humans. They knew that after death, new life would occur and they wanted the deities to return. That is how the Aztec are remembered, but once they were high educated. They left us the sun stone, which is a 20,000 years old warning for this recurring disasters. To learn much more about the cycle of disasters and civilizations, recurring floods, ancient high tech and alien deities, read the e-book: "what I know about Nibiru". You can read it nicely on every computer, tablet or smartphone. Just search for: know Nibiru

  • @teresafernandez9849

    @teresafernandez9849

    2 жыл бұрын

    Another alien BS believer!! We r in the 3rd sun, and it seems like ppl knew the end was coming, many religious sites were purposely buried, probably in the hope it would continue. When they dig us up in 5,000 yrs, we r going to be recorded as the greediest, most ignorant ppl ever!!

  • @teresafernandez9849

    @teresafernandez9849

    2 жыл бұрын

    Say the descendants of the conqueror who slaughtered, pilfered, enslaved and shoved their violent Christian religion down ppl's throat and up their asses!! So says the conqueror who chopped thousands of heads off in France on the guiotine over politics and religion, so says the descend of the conqueror who burnt people at the stake in New England in the name of Christianity!! So says the conqueror who slaughtered men women and children at wounded knee. HYPOCRITES!!! Make them look like undeserving savages so we won't be judged for the biggest human genocide in the history of mankind!! The conspiracy worked, but not on all ppl, thank you to so many of u who support and respect our history and place in the Americas! It's needed and appreciated!!

  • @timfoster4979
    @timfoster4979 Жыл бұрын

    I feel like it's becoming political

  • @prestonphelps1649
    @prestonphelps16492 жыл бұрын

    Professor. your audio sucks

  • @williamgrosbach4237
    @williamgrosbach42372 жыл бұрын

    Seems like a lot of interesting content, but the delivery's dry as toast. 😴

  • @blissmatters4119
    @blissmatters411911 ай бұрын

    The Book of Mormon is a record of what happened to the Maya. The Nephites,Lamenites,Jaredites and Mulikites were people who immigrated from what is now the Israel area. The Jaredites arrived around 2000 bc not long after the confounding of the languages recorded in the Bible. Mulik was a son of Zedikah recorded in the Bible. The same Zddikah who saw two of his sons murdered before they put his eyes out. The Nephites arrived around 600 bc. Lehi was the father of Nephi and a contemporary of Zedikah. The Jaredites and Nephites were completely destroyed by war. The ancient people split into two main groups- Nephites and Lamenites. The Lamenites were decenters from the Nephites. At approximately 34 AD, all the wicked people were destroyed by God by earthquakes and fires the such as never been seen before. So great was the destruction that new mountains formed were there once cities. Some cities were sunk in the sea. Those who were not destroyed prospered for a period of time until they become wicked. Soon after their fall into wickedness , God was no longer with them. The Lamenites were much more numerous than the Nephites. The Lamenites eventually hunted down and killed off all the Nephites. The Lamenites of today are among those living in South America today. I share this because it’s so interesting to see how close non-believers have come to telling the story of the Book of Mormon. For the true knowledge seeker of what happened to the people of ancient America, there is no greater record than the Book of Mormon.

  • @SolaceEasy
    @SolaceEasy3 жыл бұрын

    F Zoom! Cuts in the talk make it too confusing.

  • @paulksycki
    @paulksycki Жыл бұрын

    If you study astro-mythology of other cultures and the way Maya kings associate themselves with gods, you would think the gods represent aspects in the "fixed" stars , natural energies, and cardinal directions, with the sun, probably associated with the square temples and astro-alignments. But stuff does change in the stars over long periods along with solar drift and that could explain some of the changes. But the switch to round temples and split ring resonator structures, disharmony, and eventual collapse seems characteristic to many cultures of the cycles of planetary gods of dual good/evil aspect who seem to put in power more deceptive, evil, and power hungry rulers in general.

  • @lourdessoriano3479
    @lourdessoriano34793 жыл бұрын

    U guys inherited lies.

  • @gpozdol7912
    @gpozdol79122 жыл бұрын

    How does this "mystery" corilate with the end of the last ice age.

  • @randomspurious1066
    @randomspurious10663 жыл бұрын

    Steve, it's okay to leave the bunker! And wash your hands! The dirt-stained door may be contaminated! And replace the door seals - they look precipitously decrepit!

  • @Arkathio
    @Arkathio3 жыл бұрын

    After 25 minutes of constant interruption from a bad internet connection you never thought to solve the problem in order to make the rest watchable?! My God archeology seems to be full of fossils....

  • @captaindiabetes4244
    @captaindiabetes42443 жыл бұрын

    howcome no one mentions egyptian explorers coming to peru/mexico and introduce their culture to the locals

  • @soloxb

    @soloxb

    3 жыл бұрын

    Really? Link

  • @amparocruz951

    @amparocruz951

    3 жыл бұрын

    Mesoamerican and Incan Culture is Absolutely Nothing like Egyptian

  • @amparocruz951

    @amparocruz951

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@soloxb Its Not True, Egyptian culture is Absolutely Nothing like Mesoamerican and Andean culture

  • @captaindiabetes4244

    @captaindiabetes4244

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@amparocruz951 are you kidding me? Go do some research.

  • @captaindiabetes4244

    @captaindiabetes4244

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@amparocruz951 inca is not a culture.. Inca were a group of high society elites. Google East African invasion of South America.. First link

  • @junkettarp8942
    @junkettarp89425 ай бұрын

    Get real buddy....Please for your sake.

  • @DanDan-jg2et
    @DanDan-jg2et3 жыл бұрын

    I think this guy doesn’t know what he’s talking about…. How does he know that the written language in question wasn’t sensible? He’s a liar

  • @theCosmicQueen

    @theCosmicQueen

    Жыл бұрын

    he's talking about today, people can't decipher it yet.

  • @theCosmicQueen
    @theCosmicQueen Жыл бұрын

    Did anyone ever trace the genetic origin of central american cotton? which was already here when columbus arrived.

  • @junkettarp8942
    @junkettarp89425 ай бұрын

    This is utter rubbish......The world was created this morning at 9.20 am ...This I know.

  • @negambeymuksingkali1489
    @negambeymuksingkali1489 Жыл бұрын

    he dont look Maya