The Maya civilization reached its dazzling peak during the Classic period (250–900 CE), building monumental city-states like Tikal, Calakmul, and Palenque, each ruled by divine kings who inscribed their triumphs on stelae. Yet by the time the Spanish arrived, these once-great cities lay abandoned, swallowed by the jungle. This show explores the longstanding mystery of the Classic Maya collapse, a centuries-long unraveling that saw political fragmentation, widespread famine, and mass migration. Lucas and Luna guide listeners through the leading theories: severe droughts recorded in lake sediment cores, deforestation and soil exhaustion from intensive maize agriculture, inter-dynastic warfare between Tikal and Calakmul, and the eventual failure of the ruler’s sacred authority. We examine hieroglyphic texts that reveal the final dates recorded at Copán and Dos Pilas, the last known inscriptions at Toniná in 909 CE, and the resilience of northern sites like Chichén Itzá. Why did a civilization with such sophisticated astronomy, mathematics, and writing collapse so thoroughly? And what does their story tell us about climate change and societal fragility today? The answers lie in the glyphs, the bones, and the pollen grains of the Petén basin.
