00:00 The Mayan civilization, once a mighty empire, collapsed over 500 years before any European arrived in the Americas, leaving behind ruins like the great city of Tikal, and the exact cause of this collapse remains a mystery.

06:27 The Mayan civilization, once thought to be built by ancient Egyptians or other old-world civilizations, was actually the product of an advanced society indigenous to the New World, but their written language was nearly eradicated by Spanish colonialists.

12:08 Diego de Landa, a Spanish missionary, played a role in the destruction of the Mayan civilization by torturing and burning their ancient books, but ironically, his meticulous notes about the Mayan people and their language have survived and have been crucial in deciphering their ancient writings.

17:35 The Maya civilization had a complex culture, worshipped multiple gods, engaged in limited human sacrifice, played ball sports, built monumental cities in challenging environments, relied on manual labor for transportation and faced challenges in agriculture and food storage, and were essentially a stone age society.

23:10 The Mayan civilization flourished despite challenging conditions, domesticating crops like maize and cacao, and dividing their world into highlands and lowlands, with the city of Tikal being one of the most powerful and spectacular Mayan cities, while Teotihuacan, located in the valley of Mexico, played a significant role as a powerful and influential city in the Mayan world.

28:56 Under the influence of Teotihuacan, the Mayan city of Tikal grew in wealth and power, forming partnerships and alliances with other cities and eventually becoming the most powerful city in the Mayan world, until it was challenged by its rival, Kalakmul, in a centuries-long game of strategy.

34:57 Under the rule of Double Bird, Tikal lost its key ally, Karakol, due to Double Bird's poor political decisions, leading to a retaliatory Star War declared by Karakol and ultimately resulting in Tikal's destruction and the rise of Kalakmul as the ruling power in the Yucatan.

40:42 The collapse of the Maya civilization can be tracked through the decrease in the number of monuments and inscriptions, with the construction of new monuments ending by the year 900, and the collapse beginning in the southwest and spreading throughout the Maya lowlands, ultimately leading to the silence of cities like Bonampak, Yashilan, Kalakmul, Kopan, Tikal, and Tonina, despite there being no warning signs or decline in Maya art.

46:39 The collapse of Mayan civilization was likely caused by a combination of deforestation due to the intensive industrial process of burning limestone for construction and agriculture, the short-sighted strategy of growing crops on the same soil without fallow periods, and a severe drought caused by a decrease in solar radiation, leading to a decline in cultural complexity and the abandonment of some areas.

52:32 The population of Kopan boomed due to fertile soil and trade, but as space ran out and the hills were eroded, the burden of feeding the people fell on the valley bottom, leading to increased disease, malnutrition, and blame on the rulers, ultimately resulting in the collapse of royal authority and the abandonment of the city.

58:34 By the year 900, Tikal had lost its power and its population, and the city fell into chaos and was eventually abandoned, with evidence of common people squatting in the royal palaces for over a century; the collapse of Tikal was part of a larger pattern of cities being abandoned in the Mayan lowlands due to environmental damage, climate change, agricultural failure, and political collapse.

01:04:11 As Mayan society crumbled, its people turned against each other, leading to a violent struggle for survival and the abandonment of cities; the Mayan pyramids and cities are still being uncovered today, with recent discoveries revealing one of the largest pyramids ever built, and the ongoing battle to decipher Mayan inscriptions continues, although much of their complex symbolism and meaning has been lost.