Where Did the Maya Go After Their Cities Emptied?

Millions of Maya walked out of their biggest cities within about a century. The famous "mystery" is only half the story, and the real answer starts inside a cave stalagmite in Belize. Why did the Maya abandon their greatest cities? From a palace frozen mid-chore at Aguateca, to a royal massacre at Cancuén, to toxic reservoirs at Tikal and a rainfall record hidden in a cave, this is an investigation into drought, crowding, war, and the kings who promised to keep the rain coming. 0:00 Intro 0:41 The Frozen Palace 1:46 Temples Into Walls 3:44 The Unseen Crowd 5:36 The Sky Goes Dry 8:01 The King'S Claim Main sources: Evans et al. 2018 (Science) on Maya drought; Kennett et al. 2012 (Science) on the Yok Balum Cave stalagmite record; Canuto, Estrada-Belli, Garrison et al. 2018 (Science) lidar survey of the Maya lowlands; Lentz, Tankersley, Dunning et al. 2020 (Scientific Reports) on mercury and algae in Tikal's reservoirs; Hodell, Curtis and Brenner 1995 (Nature) on Lake Chichancanab; Demarest and colleagues' excavations at Cancuén; Takeshi Inomata and colleagues' excavations at Aguateca. Some dialogue is dramatized from historical records. If you love weird true history, like and subscribe for more stories from Sam. #maya #mayacivilization #mayacollapse #ancienthistory #history #tikal #copan #mesoamerica #archaeology #drought #lidar #ancientcivilizations #historydocumentary #mysteries #aguateca #cancuen #chichenitza #guatemala #belize #mexico Music: "Spy Glass" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b... "Thinking Music" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b... "Clash Defiant" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b... "Unseen Horrors" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b... "Ossuary 6 - Air" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b... "Ancient Rite" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b... "Hitman" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b... "Desert City" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b... "The Britons" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b... "Mesmerize" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b... "Funk Game Loop" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b...