1 00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:03,666 ♪ ♪ 2 00:00:05,266 --> 00:00:07,809 ♪ ♪ 3 00:00:07,833 --> 00:00:10,742 NARRATOR: Buried in the jungles of Central America, 4 00:00:10,766 --> 00:00:15,742 {\an1}the pyramids of the ancient Maya sat abandoned for centuries. 5 00:00:15,766 --> 00:00:18,876 ♪ ♪ 6 00:00:18,900 --> 00:00:22,709 {\an1}Now evidence is painting a clearer picture 7 00:00:22,733 --> 00:00:24,842 of the sophisticated civilization that produced 8 00:00:24,866 --> 00:00:29,109 complex cities, art, and writing. 9 00:00:29,133 --> 00:00:31,109 From above... 10 00:00:31,133 --> 00:00:33,776 {\an1}You can tell the computer, "Get rid of all the jungle." 11 00:00:33,800 --> 00:00:36,242 {\an4}NARRATOR: From below... JAIME AWE: You can develop 12 00:00:36,266 --> 00:00:37,309 a climatic record 13 00:00:37,333 --> 00:00:40,509 {\an1}for thousands and thousands of years. 14 00:00:40,533 --> 00:00:41,842 NARRATOR: From the bones... 15 00:00:41,866 --> 00:00:43,176 JULIE HOGGARTH: It tells us 16 00:00:43,200 --> 00:00:44,709 {\an1}when these individuals lived, 17 00:00:44,733 --> 00:00:46,509 what people ate. 18 00:00:46,533 --> 00:00:49,742 NARRATOR: And revealing a great Maya metropolis. 19 00:00:49,766 --> 00:00:51,109 {\an1}The seventh-largest city in the world. 20 00:00:51,133 --> 00:00:52,900 {\an1}So it's a perfect planned city. 21 00:00:54,000 --> 00:00:56,842 NARRATOR: And yet, over a thousand years ago, 22 00:00:56,866 --> 00:01:00,176 {\an1}the Maya left most of these great cities. 23 00:01:00,200 --> 00:01:01,409 Why? 24 00:01:01,433 --> 00:01:05,976 {\an1}From a civilization governed by divine rulers... 25 00:01:06,000 --> 00:01:07,809 IYAXEL REN: Only this dynasty can have 26 00:01:07,833 --> 00:01:10,009 {\an1}contact with Maya deities. 27 00:01:10,033 --> 00:01:12,009 NARRATOR: comes a message from the past... 28 00:01:12,033 --> 00:01:17,076 AWE: It is the Maya now relating to us many of the events 29 00:01:17,100 --> 00:01:20,676 {\an1}during one of the most critical periods of their history. 30 00:01:20,700 --> 00:01:22,709 NARRATOR: of a world in transition... 31 00:01:22,733 --> 00:01:24,709 AWE: They're upping the ante. 32 00:01:24,733 --> 00:01:26,909 {\an1}They're really beseeching their gods. 33 00:01:26,933 --> 00:01:29,342 NARRATOR: and a story of the resilient people 34 00:01:29,366 --> 00:01:31,409 {\an1}who have survived and thrived. 35 00:01:31,433 --> 00:01:33,942 REN: The Maya are still here. 36 00:01:33,966 --> 00:01:35,909 ♪ ♪ 37 00:01:35,933 --> 00:01:38,076 NARRATOR: "Ancient Maya Metropolis," 38 00:01:38,100 --> 00:01:40,842 {\an1}right now, on "NOVA." 39 00:01:40,866 --> 00:01:48,866 ♪ ♪ 40 00:02:02,700 --> 00:02:05,076 ♪ ♪ 41 00:02:05,100 --> 00:02:07,276 NARRATOR: For over a thousand years, 42 00:02:07,300 --> 00:02:10,209 {\an1}hundreds of cities lay covered in the forests 43 00:02:10,233 --> 00:02:12,342 of Central America, 44 00:02:12,366 --> 00:02:16,876 {\an1}remnants of the ancient Maya civilization. 45 00:02:16,900 --> 00:02:21,176 AWE: The ancient Maya were one of the most 46 00:02:21,200 --> 00:02:25,309 {\an1}amazing civilizations in the Americas. 47 00:02:25,333 --> 00:02:27,842 {\an1}They developed this civilization 48 00:02:27,866 --> 00:02:31,042 {\an1}in a jungle environment. 49 00:02:31,066 --> 00:02:34,709 NARRATOR: The Maya built towering pyramids 50 00:02:34,733 --> 00:02:38,466 {\an1}and elaborate temples over the course of 2,000 years. 51 00:02:40,000 --> 00:02:43,442 {\an7}Cities expanded across Mesoamerica. 52 00:02:43,466 --> 00:02:45,809 {\an1}Their culture had advanced mathematics, 53 00:02:45,833 --> 00:02:49,242 {\an1}agriculture, and astronomy. 54 00:02:49,266 --> 00:02:51,742 {\an1}FRANCISCO ESTRADA-BELLI: They had very intimate knowledge of stars, 55 00:02:51,766 --> 00:02:54,942 {\an1}of the movement of the celestial bodies. 56 00:02:54,966 --> 00:02:59,166 {\an1}They were also great farmers and geo-engineers. 57 00:03:00,500 --> 00:03:04,609 AWE: The Maya built, you know, some amazing structures 58 00:03:04,633 --> 00:03:07,176 {\an1}that still remain today after more than 59 00:03:07,200 --> 00:03:10,709 {\an8}a thousand years of being abandoned. 60 00:03:10,733 --> 00:03:14,542 {\an8}NARRATOR: The Maya expressed themselves with vibrant, stylized carvings, 61 00:03:14,566 --> 00:03:18,742 {\an7}figures, and brightly colored polychrome pottery. 62 00:03:18,766 --> 00:03:21,976 {\an7}Their art was reflected in their written language... 63 00:03:22,000 --> 00:03:26,709 {\an7}hieroglyphs that could be read throughout the Maya world. 64 00:03:26,733 --> 00:03:31,176 {\an8}♪ ♪ 65 00:03:31,200 --> 00:03:35,576 {\an7}More than a thousand years ago, the majority of the great cities 66 00:03:35,600 --> 00:03:37,976 {\an8}of the Southern Maya were abandoned. 67 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:42,009 {\an7}Who were the Maya who lived and ruled in these cities? 68 00:03:42,033 --> 00:03:45,209 How did they build and sustain vast cities 69 00:03:45,233 --> 00:03:46,776 {\an1}with huge populations 70 00:03:46,800 --> 00:03:49,909 {\an1}in a tropical rain forest? 71 00:03:49,933 --> 00:03:51,409 {\an1}Why did they leave them? 72 00:03:51,433 --> 00:03:54,742 These have remained some of archaeology's 73 00:03:54,766 --> 00:03:58,442 {\an1}most intriguing questions. 74 00:03:58,466 --> 00:04:02,333 ♪ ♪ 75 00:04:06,666 --> 00:04:08,509 {\an7}(wildlife chirping, chittering) 76 00:04:08,533 --> 00:04:12,709 {\an8}ESTRADA-BELLI: The Maya were based in parts of Southern Mexico, Guatemala, 77 00:04:12,733 --> 00:04:15,242 {\an7}and Honduras and Belize and El Salvador. 78 00:04:15,266 --> 00:04:18,442 {\an1}And there were great cities in this region. 79 00:04:18,466 --> 00:04:19,709 Most of them most people know about 80 00:04:19,733 --> 00:04:22,542 {\an8}are located in the Lowland region. 81 00:04:22,566 --> 00:04:23,876 {\an7}So it's a tropical forest, 82 00:04:23,900 --> 00:04:27,342 {\an7}and that's where a lot of the archaeological work 83 00:04:27,366 --> 00:04:30,409 {\an7}has been going on in the last 120 years. 84 00:04:30,433 --> 00:04:32,542 {\an1}And that's where I work, as well. 85 00:04:32,566 --> 00:04:35,909 NARRATOR: Francisco Estrada-Belli first started working 86 00:04:35,933 --> 00:04:39,676 {\an1}in the Southern Maya Lowlands in 1987. 87 00:04:39,700 --> 00:04:43,809 ESTRADA-BELLI: In the beginning, we didn't think you could 88 00:04:43,833 --> 00:04:45,509 {\an1}have a civilization with 89 00:04:45,533 --> 00:04:49,142 {\an1}very many people living, you know, in a concentrated area 90 00:04:49,166 --> 00:04:50,509 {\an1}because of the tropical environment. 91 00:04:50,533 --> 00:04:53,142 {\an7}Today, we know that they had proper cities 92 00:04:53,166 --> 00:04:56,076 {\an7}with thousands, sometimes hundreds of thousands 93 00:04:56,100 --> 00:04:57,633 {\an8}of residents. 94 00:04:59,366 --> 00:05:03,776 NARRATOR: And their descendants are still here. 95 00:05:03,800 --> 00:05:05,942 {\an1}There are still millions of Maya people living in 96 00:05:05,966 --> 00:05:08,976 {\an1}this part of Central America. 97 00:05:09,000 --> 00:05:12,076 REN: Contemporary Maya people, 98 00:05:12,100 --> 00:05:15,342 {\an1}we share the same territory, and we know that 99 00:05:15,366 --> 00:05:17,442 {\an1}we share the same culture, 100 00:05:17,466 --> 00:05:21,876 {\an1}but we also need to understand that we are very diverse. 101 00:05:21,900 --> 00:05:25,900 {\an7}Right now, there are at least 30 Maya ethnolinguistic groups. 102 00:05:28,733 --> 00:05:31,009 {\an1}I am Iyaxel Cojti Ren. 103 00:05:31,033 --> 00:05:34,242 {\an1}I am a Kiche Maya woman from Chichicastenango, Guatemala. 104 00:05:34,266 --> 00:05:36,376 Around this town, 105 00:05:36,400 --> 00:05:39,876 there are a few archaeological sites. 106 00:05:39,900 --> 00:05:41,476 {\an1}And I always had question about who live there, 107 00:05:41,500 --> 00:05:43,076 {\an1}what's the relationship between 108 00:05:43,100 --> 00:05:45,776 {\an1}the people who live there and us? 109 00:05:45,800 --> 00:05:48,876 {\an1}And then I discover that there is actually a career 110 00:05:48,900 --> 00:05:51,742 called archaeology. 111 00:05:51,766 --> 00:05:56,276 NARRATOR: For more than a hundred years, archaeologists have uncovered 112 00:05:56,300 --> 00:05:57,542 {\an1}the cities of the Maya, 113 00:05:57,566 --> 00:06:01,976 {\an1}learning about their language, culture, and society, 114 00:06:02,000 --> 00:06:06,609 {\an1}a heritage that was deliberately suppressed... often violently... 115 00:06:06,633 --> 00:06:09,676 By Europeans. 116 00:06:09,700 --> 00:06:13,476 ESTRADA-BELLI: Since the conquest, the Spanish, the glorious past 117 00:06:13,500 --> 00:06:16,676 {\an1}of Classic Maya civilization was a threat. 118 00:06:16,700 --> 00:06:18,076 {\an1}And so in order to dispossess the Maya 119 00:06:18,100 --> 00:06:21,809 {\an1}and to better control them, they created this narrative 120 00:06:21,833 --> 00:06:27,042 {\an1}in which they claimed that the current Maya were savage people 121 00:06:27,066 --> 00:06:29,842 {\an1}that had nothing to do with the great, sophisticated people 122 00:06:29,866 --> 00:06:31,576 {\an1}that built the great cities. 123 00:06:31,600 --> 00:06:34,842 And so that attitude has continued throughout 124 00:06:34,866 --> 00:06:37,609 {\an1}the colonial period and up until the present, 125 00:06:37,633 --> 00:06:42,409 {\an1}and has affected early explorers into the Maya Lowlands. 126 00:06:42,433 --> 00:06:46,009 {\an1}And over the years, we have created a narrative in which, 127 00:06:46,033 --> 00:06:47,942 {\an1}you know, we have constantly 128 00:06:47,966 --> 00:06:49,709 {\an1}and consistently underestimated 129 00:06:49,733 --> 00:06:52,009 the achievements of Maya civilization. 130 00:06:52,033 --> 00:06:56,842 And so that has been a pervasive misconception, 131 00:06:56,866 --> 00:07:01,409 {\an1}and that is only changing in very recent times. 132 00:07:01,433 --> 00:07:05,009 {\an1}I think that a lot of archaeologists also helped 133 00:07:05,033 --> 00:07:09,076 {\an1}to create this mysterious environment, 134 00:07:09,100 --> 00:07:11,609 {\an1}but not, not contemporary archaeologists. 135 00:07:11,633 --> 00:07:14,242 Maybe archaeologists of the last generations. 136 00:07:14,266 --> 00:07:16,476 {\an1}Because I know that currently, 137 00:07:16,500 --> 00:07:19,409 {\an1}archaeologists are very conscious and very critical 138 00:07:19,433 --> 00:07:22,309 {\an1}about what collapse is 139 00:07:22,333 --> 00:07:24,642 {\an1}when they are talking about the Maya. 140 00:07:24,666 --> 00:07:30,009 {\an1}(people speaking Spanish) 141 00:07:30,033 --> 00:07:32,542 NARRATOR: Jaime Awe is the former 142 00:07:32,566 --> 00:07:33,876 {\an7}head of the Institute of Archaeology 143 00:07:33,900 --> 00:07:37,409 {\an7}in his home country of Belize. 144 00:07:37,433 --> 00:07:40,209 {\an1}He has spent the last three decades studying Maya sites 145 00:07:40,233 --> 00:07:44,376 and working with the Maya community. 146 00:07:44,400 --> 00:07:46,776 {\an1}(speaking Spanish) 147 00:07:46,800 --> 00:07:50,809 {\an1}AWE (voiceover, in English): I've known Jorge Can for 26 years. 148 00:07:50,833 --> 00:07:53,209 {\an1}I hired him to work with us, 149 00:07:53,233 --> 00:07:57,376 {\an7}and over the years, he's now the chief conservator 150 00:07:57,400 --> 00:07:59,533 {\an7}for the Belize Institute of Archaeology. 151 00:08:03,366 --> 00:08:06,876 NARRATOR: Excavating Maya cities is a monumental job. 152 00:08:06,900 --> 00:08:09,442 (speaking Spanish) 153 00:08:09,466 --> 00:08:12,342 NARRATOR: Jorge Can has made it his life's work. 154 00:08:12,366 --> 00:08:13,676 {\an8}CAN: I love my job, what I'm doing. 155 00:08:13,700 --> 00:08:17,976 {\an7}I really love it and I got a passion of it, and... 156 00:08:18,000 --> 00:08:21,309 {\an7}I could say the majority of this archaeological site 157 00:08:21,333 --> 00:08:22,342 {\an8}is my office. (laughs) 158 00:08:22,366 --> 00:08:24,342 {\an8}(speaking Spanish) 159 00:08:24,366 --> 00:08:26,876 {\an8}NARRATOR: Jorge is a Yucatec Maya conservator. 160 00:08:26,900 --> 00:08:30,776 {\an7}His work is reclaiming and preserving his own culture. 161 00:08:30,800 --> 00:08:33,609 {\an8}CAN: I could say we, Maya, built it and then we continue 162 00:08:33,633 --> 00:08:35,342 {\an7}that tradition over here, 163 00:08:35,366 --> 00:08:38,709 {\an7}because we are the ones who are continuing that work over here. 164 00:08:38,733 --> 00:08:44,609 ♪ ♪ 165 00:08:44,633 --> 00:08:47,876 NARRATOR: Most major excavations have focused on large structures... 166 00:08:47,900 --> 00:08:50,409 {\an1}the impressive temples and palaces 167 00:08:50,433 --> 00:08:52,909 of the ancient Maya. 168 00:08:52,933 --> 00:08:54,676 These were the homes of the elite. 169 00:08:54,700 --> 00:08:59,009 {\an1}But most of the cities' population were not elite. 170 00:08:59,033 --> 00:09:02,309 Critical information about their homes, their lives, 171 00:09:02,333 --> 00:09:07,209 {\an1}and why they left is buried under jungle. 172 00:09:07,233 --> 00:09:09,076 {\an1}You know, today's visitor, when they come to the site, 173 00:09:09,100 --> 00:09:11,642 they walk around and they see that section 174 00:09:11,666 --> 00:09:15,609 {\an1}where we have been able to afford to excavate and conserve. 175 00:09:15,633 --> 00:09:18,042 {\an1}But in reality, you know, 176 00:09:18,066 --> 00:09:19,742 {\an1}hidden under all this jungle 177 00:09:19,766 --> 00:09:21,976 {\an1}are hundreds of other buildings 178 00:09:22,000 --> 00:09:24,342 {\an1}that are practically untouched. 179 00:09:24,366 --> 00:09:27,709 ♪ ♪ 180 00:09:27,733 --> 00:09:29,742 (wildlife chirping) 181 00:09:29,766 --> 00:09:32,509 NARRATOR: Clearing tropical forest is labor-intensive. 182 00:09:32,533 --> 00:09:35,466 It takes a long time to excavate a site. 183 00:09:36,733 --> 00:09:39,876 {\an1}At the Maya site of Caracol, located in Southern Belize, 184 00:09:39,900 --> 00:09:42,709 {\an1}the challenge of mapping a city covered in jungle 185 00:09:42,733 --> 00:09:45,142 {\an1}spurred a creative solution, 186 00:09:45,166 --> 00:09:48,700 one that changed tropical archaeology forever. 187 00:09:51,933 --> 00:09:54,542 {\an7}Early in their careers, Diane and Arlen Chase 188 00:09:54,566 --> 00:09:56,542 {\an7}had worked on other sites nearby, 189 00:09:56,566 --> 00:09:59,942 but in the 1980s, they surveyed Caracol, 190 00:09:59,966 --> 00:10:03,742 {\an1}and have returned every year since. 191 00:10:03,766 --> 00:10:07,876 {\an8}♪ ♪ 192 00:10:07,900 --> 00:10:11,376 {\an8}DIANE CHASE: We spent more than 20 years trying to 193 00:10:11,400 --> 00:10:14,276 {\an7}document how large Caracol was, 194 00:10:14,300 --> 00:10:18,609 {\an7}how extensive the road system was. 195 00:10:18,633 --> 00:10:22,609 {\an8}ARLEN CHASE: We started mapping in 1985. 196 00:10:22,633 --> 00:10:26,509 {\an7}What mapping meant was that when we were mapping here initially, 197 00:10:26,533 --> 00:10:29,276 {\an7}I was carrying a transit over my shoulder 198 00:10:29,300 --> 00:10:33,933 {\an1}and we would literally cut into the jungle. 199 00:10:37,666 --> 00:10:41,109 NARRATOR: Maps were painstakingly drawn by hand over two decades, 200 00:10:41,133 --> 00:10:45,409 {\an1}but recorded only a fraction of the city. 201 00:10:45,433 --> 00:10:48,409 {\an1}The Chases were convinced there was a vast metropolis 202 00:10:48,433 --> 00:10:50,709 buried under the tropical jungle, 203 00:10:50,733 --> 00:10:52,976 {\an1}but the process was so slow, 204 00:10:53,000 --> 00:10:56,242 {\an1}they had no way to prove the actual size of Caracol. 205 00:10:56,266 --> 00:10:59,676 ARLEN CHASE: And so we started looking for another technology 206 00:10:59,700 --> 00:11:02,209 to use in 2005. 207 00:11:02,233 --> 00:11:08,576 {\an1}And eventually we got led to the fact that LiDAR might do this. 208 00:11:08,600 --> 00:11:10,576 ♪ ♪ 209 00:11:10,600 --> 00:11:13,276 NARRATOR: LiDAR... Light Detection and Ranging... 210 00:11:13,300 --> 00:11:17,276 {\an1}was initially used for atmospheric measurements. 211 00:11:17,300 --> 00:11:22,176 ARLEN CHASE: This was the first place in the tropics to ever use LiDAR 212 00:11:22,200 --> 00:11:25,476 {\an1}in a broad-scale sense. 213 00:11:25,500 --> 00:11:26,809 They'd done little 214 00:11:26,833 --> 00:11:29,309 {\an1}pockets of it here and there, especially in Europe. 215 00:11:29,333 --> 00:11:33,176 {\an1}But no one had ever tried to do a broad scale to see 216 00:11:33,200 --> 00:11:35,342 {\an1}if you could lift the trees and see what was 217 00:11:35,366 --> 00:11:37,642 {\an1}underneath the forest. 218 00:11:37,666 --> 00:11:40,376 NARRATOR: LiDAR sends thousands of laser beams 219 00:11:40,400 --> 00:11:42,709 {\an1}of different wavelengths and then measures the time 220 00:11:42,733 --> 00:11:45,809 {\an1}for the reflected beams to return. 221 00:11:45,833 --> 00:11:49,542 The lasers were able to penetrate the jungle canopy 222 00:11:49,566 --> 00:11:53,642 {\an7}and create high-resolution images of the ground below. 223 00:11:53,666 --> 00:11:58,176 {\an7}The result was a revolution in tropical archaeology. 224 00:11:58,200 --> 00:12:02,109 {\an1}LiDAR is actually God's gift to the tropical archaeologist, 225 00:12:02,133 --> 00:12:04,176 {\an8}because you can tell the computer, 226 00:12:04,200 --> 00:12:06,909 {\an7}"Get rid of all the forest, get rid of all the jungle." 227 00:12:06,933 --> 00:12:10,042 {\an7}And what you have left is bare earth. 228 00:12:10,066 --> 00:12:12,909 {\an7}And you see the courtyards, you see the temples, 229 00:12:12,933 --> 00:12:17,276 {\an8}you see the palaces, the reservoirs. 230 00:12:17,300 --> 00:12:20,942 {\an1}What some other archaeologists did when they first had access 231 00:12:20,966 --> 00:12:24,142 {\an1}to LiDAR is, they used the LiDAR, and then they did 232 00:12:24,166 --> 00:12:25,342 a ground check. 233 00:12:25,366 --> 00:12:27,242 {\an1}They would go and look and see 234 00:12:27,266 --> 00:12:29,076 {\an1}if they saw a feature, and they would look, say, 235 00:12:29,100 --> 00:12:30,176 {\an1}"Oh, is that on the ground 236 00:12:30,200 --> 00:12:31,742 {\an1}in the place where the LiDAR showed us?" 237 00:12:31,766 --> 00:12:35,542 {\an1}When we did the LiDAR, we were able to double-check our maps, 238 00:12:35,566 --> 00:12:38,009 {\an1}rather than the other way around. 239 00:12:38,033 --> 00:12:42,176 NARRATOR: The years of mapping Caracol by hand finally paid off. 240 00:12:42,200 --> 00:12:45,600 {\an1}We had the ground check first, and then we used the LiDAR. 241 00:12:46,833 --> 00:12:48,576 {\an8}NARRATOR: LiDAR has opened up an incredible window 242 00:12:48,600 --> 00:12:52,576 {\an7}on ancient structures, but also issues around access, 243 00:12:52,600 --> 00:12:57,742 {\an7}to try and keep the data from looters. 244 00:12:57,766 --> 00:13:01,009 In Caracol, the LiDAR and the Chases' maps 245 00:13:01,033 --> 00:13:03,409 {\an1}combined to provide a blueprint for understanding 246 00:13:03,433 --> 00:13:07,376 {\an1}a city-sized bank of LiDAR data. 247 00:13:07,400 --> 00:13:11,476 {\an1}Archaeologist Adrian Chase has spent years 248 00:13:11,500 --> 00:13:14,009 {\an1}modeling the city of Caracol one hilltop... 249 00:13:14,033 --> 00:13:16,742 {\an1}called a plazuela... at a time. 250 00:13:16,766 --> 00:13:18,042 ADRIAN CHASE: I started working on the LiDAR 251 00:13:18,066 --> 00:13:20,342 {\an1}at the start of 2010. 252 00:13:20,366 --> 00:13:21,509 {\an1}Using different LiDAR visualizations, 253 00:13:21,533 --> 00:13:24,976 {\an1}I went through the data set systematically 254 00:13:25,000 --> 00:13:26,409 {\an7}to try and identify and digitize 255 00:13:26,433 --> 00:13:29,209 {\an7}as many of the plazuela household groups as I could. 256 00:13:29,233 --> 00:13:32,909 {\an1}Each one of these little squares is an extended family household. 257 00:13:32,933 --> 00:13:34,642 {\an1}But all the ridge tops are covered in them. 258 00:13:34,666 --> 00:13:36,976 NARRATOR: The computer modeling 259 00:13:37,000 --> 00:13:40,709 {\an1}of the Caracol LiDAR allows us to see an amazing Maya city 260 00:13:40,733 --> 00:13:46,009 {\an1}in precise detail, a city of great size and sophistication. 261 00:13:46,033 --> 00:13:48,676 ADRIAN CHASE: The initial map had 78 structures. 262 00:13:48,700 --> 00:13:52,476 {\an1}And then with the LiDAR, we now have over 7,000 263 00:13:52,500 --> 00:13:55,276 {\an1}household structures that are raised households. 264 00:13:55,300 --> 00:13:57,442 NARRATOR: While Europe was in the Dark Ages, 265 00:13:57,466 --> 00:14:00,842 {\an1}the world of the Maya was thriving. 266 00:14:00,866 --> 00:14:04,709 {\an1}The population estimate of about 100,000 people at 700 A.D. 267 00:14:04,733 --> 00:14:07,009 {\an1}Based on sort of the rough data that you can get 268 00:14:07,033 --> 00:14:08,709 {\an1}for that time period, it would have made Caracol 269 00:14:08,733 --> 00:14:11,309 {\an1}the seventh-largest city in the world. 270 00:14:11,333 --> 00:14:13,076 It's a big city. 271 00:14:13,100 --> 00:14:14,676 {\an8}♪ ♪ 272 00:14:14,700 --> 00:14:19,009 {\an8}NARRATOR: LiDAR exposed a vast metropolis under the jungle. 273 00:14:19,033 --> 00:14:23,709 {\an8}DIANE CHASE: LiDAR absolutely changed our whole view of the Maya. 274 00:14:23,733 --> 00:14:25,509 {\an1}And it helped us show the world 275 00:14:25,533 --> 00:14:28,509 what we knew because we'd walked Caracol, 276 00:14:28,533 --> 00:14:30,509 {\an1}how big the place really was 277 00:14:30,533 --> 00:14:34,376 {\an1}and how much of a human-changed landscape this place was. 278 00:14:34,400 --> 00:14:37,909 One has to imagine a completely different-looking 279 00:14:37,933 --> 00:14:40,842 landscape than this. 280 00:14:40,866 --> 00:14:44,342 {\an1}What we'd be seeing is terraces, agriculture, road systems, 281 00:14:44,366 --> 00:14:48,642 {\an1}causeways, and households, and not jungle. 282 00:14:48,666 --> 00:14:52,142 NARRATOR: The city of Caracol was a feat of urban engineering. 283 00:14:52,166 --> 00:14:54,642 {\an1}Reshaping the hillsides to bare rock, 284 00:14:54,666 --> 00:14:59,609 {\an1}the Maya built networks of terraces for their crops. 285 00:14:59,633 --> 00:15:01,342 {\an1}So, these individuals that are living out here 286 00:15:01,366 --> 00:15:02,909 {\an1}have agricultural fields right around them. 287 00:15:02,933 --> 00:15:05,609 {\an1}They've got corn, they've got beans, they've got squash. 288 00:15:05,633 --> 00:15:09,076 {\an1}It's a sustainable community. 289 00:15:09,100 --> 00:15:12,009 NARRATOR: In Caracol, Maya homes were grouped together 290 00:15:12,033 --> 00:15:15,633 {\an1}on the plazuela hilltops. 291 00:15:16,666 --> 00:15:20,142 DIANE CHASE: We're inside a plazuela group. 292 00:15:20,166 --> 00:15:22,709 {\an1}The Maya houses were built 293 00:15:22,733 --> 00:15:24,276 {\an1}usually inside a plaza, 294 00:15:24,300 --> 00:15:26,376 {\an1}with a series of structures facing each other. 295 00:15:26,400 --> 00:15:30,642 {\an1}So, this is a Maya household, a typical Maya household. 296 00:15:30,666 --> 00:15:32,742 {\an1}There would have been stairways made of stone 297 00:15:32,766 --> 00:15:35,576 {\an1}and then foundation walls made of stone. 298 00:15:35,600 --> 00:15:38,176 {\an1}But the rest would have been pole and thatch. 299 00:15:38,200 --> 00:15:40,742 {\an1}The eastern structure is usually the mortuary structure, 300 00:15:40,766 --> 00:15:43,709 {\an1}and that's what's behind me, is the structure where the Maya 301 00:15:43,733 --> 00:15:45,376 would have, would have buried their dead 302 00:15:45,400 --> 00:15:48,742 {\an7}and conducted some of their ritual offerings. 303 00:15:48,766 --> 00:15:51,776 {\an7}What we found in this particular building is a mortuary shrine. 304 00:15:51,800 --> 00:15:54,676 {\an7}It has caches, things that are specially deposited, 305 00:15:54,700 --> 00:15:57,576 {\an7}hidden ritual caches. 306 00:15:57,600 --> 00:16:00,442 {\an7}So I'm gonna just put both hands around it. 307 00:16:00,466 --> 00:16:02,276 {\an8}NARRATOR: The quality of the objects 308 00:16:02,300 --> 00:16:04,976 {\an7}left in the caches show that even non-elite Maya 309 00:16:05,000 --> 00:16:07,009 {\an7}were able to own fine goods. 310 00:16:07,033 --> 00:16:08,376 {\an1}This is a heavy boy. 311 00:16:08,400 --> 00:16:09,409 Okay. You got it? 312 00:16:09,433 --> 00:16:11,276 You got it. You got it. All right. 313 00:16:11,300 --> 00:16:12,476 All right, looks good... It's whole. 314 00:16:12,500 --> 00:16:14,009 {\an1}It's whole! It's whole. 315 00:16:14,033 --> 00:16:15,776 It's cracked. Okay. 316 00:16:15,800 --> 00:16:16,777 But it is whole. 317 00:16:16,801 --> 00:16:18,742 ♪ ♪ 318 00:16:18,766 --> 00:16:21,542 ARLEN CHASE: One of the things that we found that's really interesting 319 00:16:21,566 --> 00:16:26,009 {\an1}is a work of art in the form of a cylinder vase. 320 00:16:26,033 --> 00:16:29,942 {\an1}And the cylinder vase is clearly carved by a master artist. 321 00:16:29,966 --> 00:16:31,042 {\an1}You would probably think, 322 00:16:31,066 --> 00:16:32,576 "Oh, it should come from an elite tomb." 323 00:16:32,600 --> 00:16:33,842 And it came out of a 324 00:16:33,866 --> 00:16:38,109 minor crypt in a residential group. 325 00:16:38,133 --> 00:16:43,642 REN: Sometimes we can focus only about the, the function 326 00:16:43,666 --> 00:16:46,442 of an artifact, how it was produced. 327 00:16:46,466 --> 00:16:47,576 But I think we need 328 00:16:47,600 --> 00:16:49,909 {\an1}to keep in mind that there are human beings 329 00:16:49,933 --> 00:16:52,176 {\an1}behind those artifacts. 330 00:16:52,200 --> 00:16:54,709 {\an7}There is a culture that we want to know better. 331 00:16:54,733 --> 00:16:56,376 (simmering) 332 00:16:56,400 --> 00:16:58,176 NARRATOR: Some objects are still used today. 333 00:16:58,200 --> 00:17:01,276 {\an1}The traditional foods prepared with them 334 00:17:01,300 --> 00:17:04,542 {\an1}tie the modern Maya to the past. 335 00:17:04,566 --> 00:17:08,842 {\an7}Like the grinding stone and tray, the mano and metate. 336 00:17:08,866 --> 00:17:12,242 {\an8}REN: The contemporary Maya people still practice, 337 00:17:12,266 --> 00:17:16,176 {\an1}not only Maya traditions, but Mesoamerican traditions. 338 00:17:16,200 --> 00:17:20,476 {\an1}It's one of the traits that distinguish Maya culture, 339 00:17:20,500 --> 00:17:24,609 the consumption of specific food... 340 00:17:24,633 --> 00:17:26,842 {\an1}and the metate is always present... 341 00:17:26,866 --> 00:17:30,642 {\an1}the tortilla, the tamalitos. 342 00:17:30,666 --> 00:17:33,809 TIMOTEA MESH: This is what the ancient Mayas would have made before. 343 00:17:33,833 --> 00:17:36,209 {\an7}The grinding stone is the most ancient way 344 00:17:36,233 --> 00:17:39,009 {\an7}of, of grinding the corn. 345 00:17:39,033 --> 00:17:41,542 {\an1}As long as we have the dough, from there, 346 00:17:41,566 --> 00:17:45,776 {\an1}we can prepare different types of meal with the corn dough. 347 00:17:45,800 --> 00:17:48,776 {\an1}The corn tortillas are basically 348 00:17:48,800 --> 00:17:51,742 {\an1}like the bread of our meals. 349 00:17:51,766 --> 00:17:54,476 {\an1}JOSEFA CANTO: So the grill doesn't need no oil, no nothing. 350 00:17:54,500 --> 00:17:57,342 {\an1}Just lie your tortilla there. 351 00:17:57,366 --> 00:18:00,109 MESH: I grew up seeing all this kind of food, 352 00:18:00,133 --> 00:18:02,976 {\an1}making tortillas, grinding corn, 353 00:18:03,000 --> 00:18:08,776 {\an1}harvesting beans and squashes, preserving. 354 00:18:08,800 --> 00:18:10,709 ♪ ♪ 355 00:18:10,733 --> 00:18:13,642 REN: These ingredients were present in Maya diet. 356 00:18:13,666 --> 00:18:16,609 {\an1}You still have these Maya inscription, Maya hieroglyphic, 357 00:18:16,633 --> 00:18:19,909 {\an1}text that mention these, these words, 358 00:18:19,933 --> 00:18:24,042 {\an1}and oral tradition talks about the importance of this food 359 00:18:24,066 --> 00:18:26,009 for Maya. 360 00:18:26,033 --> 00:18:28,042 {\an1}Because it's so connected with identity, 361 00:18:28,066 --> 00:18:30,809 {\an1}I think people continue producing 362 00:18:30,833 --> 00:18:33,242 {\an1}these traditional dishes. 363 00:18:33,266 --> 00:18:37,142 NARRATOR: Also used to grind cacao beans into cocoa, 364 00:18:37,166 --> 00:18:40,609 {\an1}manos and metates were produced in Caracol. 365 00:18:40,633 --> 00:18:43,242 {\an1}Many other goods were imported. 366 00:18:43,266 --> 00:18:48,400 ♪ ♪ 367 00:18:57,400 --> 00:19:00,009 DIANE CHASE: It may seem like Caracol is in the middle of nowhere today. 368 00:19:00,033 --> 00:19:03,342 {\an1}It was actually, you know, a very key place. 369 00:19:03,366 --> 00:19:05,942 {\an1}It was located on a trade route. 370 00:19:05,966 --> 00:19:09,209 {\an7}There was the ability to get access to goods in a way 371 00:19:09,233 --> 00:19:13,342 {\an7}that might not necessarily be the case in other places. 372 00:19:13,366 --> 00:19:16,809 {\an1}Nowhere on site did you have to walk more than maybe 20 minutes 373 00:19:16,833 --> 00:19:19,442 to get to a market. 374 00:19:19,466 --> 00:19:21,809 Some of the pottery that is on site 375 00:19:21,833 --> 00:19:23,809 {\an1}would have been in the market. 376 00:19:23,833 --> 00:19:26,976 ♪ ♪ 377 00:19:27,000 --> 00:19:32,176 NARRATOR: Murals uncovered in 2004 in the ancient city of Calakmul 378 00:19:32,200 --> 00:19:35,400 {\an1}offer an intimate glimpse of a Maya market. 379 00:19:39,833 --> 00:19:42,842 ♪ ♪ 380 00:19:42,866 --> 00:19:46,209 {\an1}At the end of the network of paved limestone roads 381 00:19:46,233 --> 00:19:51,209 {\an1}was the core of the city and a huge central pyramid. 382 00:19:51,233 --> 00:19:54,109 DIANE CHASE: The way we see Caracol today is nothing like the Maya 383 00:19:54,133 --> 00:19:55,676 would have seen it. 384 00:19:55,700 --> 00:19:57,909 {\an1}The downtown itself, the, the buildings would have been 385 00:19:57,933 --> 00:20:00,409 {\an1}painted largely white and red, 386 00:20:00,433 --> 00:20:03,242 {\an1}the floors all completely plastered. 387 00:20:03,266 --> 00:20:07,476 ♪ ♪ 388 00:20:07,500 --> 00:20:11,142 NARRATOR: At the heart of every Maya city was the divine ruler, 389 00:20:11,166 --> 00:20:13,642 {\an1}the head of power and religion. 390 00:20:13,666 --> 00:20:16,376 ESTRADA-BELLI: So for all intents and purposes, we can say that 391 00:20:16,400 --> 00:20:18,842 {\an1}from the very beginning, Maya kings 392 00:20:18,866 --> 00:20:21,042 {\an7}had this divine essence to them, 393 00:20:21,066 --> 00:20:23,476 {\an7}or were perceived as, as gods. 394 00:20:23,500 --> 00:20:27,609 NARRATOR: Christophe Helmke, an archaeologist and epigrapher, 395 00:20:27,633 --> 00:20:29,509 reads Maya glyphs, 396 00:20:29,533 --> 00:20:31,942 which often tell of ancient rulers. 397 00:20:31,966 --> 00:20:33,976 HELMKE: The titles that these people bear 398 00:20:34,000 --> 00:20:36,009 {\an1}is usually the title "ajaw." 399 00:20:36,033 --> 00:20:39,176 As time goes on, not all kings are equal. 400 00:20:39,200 --> 00:20:41,476 {\an1}There are some that are stronger than others, 401 00:20:41,500 --> 00:20:43,242 {\an7}and those kings start to distinguish themselves 402 00:20:43,266 --> 00:20:45,576 {\an7}as being so-called k'uhul ajaw. 403 00:20:45,600 --> 00:20:50,576 {\an1}Literally, that means something along the lines of godly. 404 00:20:50,600 --> 00:20:53,076 ESTRADA-BELLI: So the kings were the supreme priests, 405 00:20:53,100 --> 00:20:55,442 {\an1}as well as the political leaders of the state. 406 00:20:55,466 --> 00:20:57,909 {\an8}So the divine king is technically in charge, 407 00:20:57,933 --> 00:21:00,409 {\an8}but what he's really in charge of is the religion. 408 00:21:00,433 --> 00:21:05,476 REN: The k'uhul ajaw is like a divine lord. 409 00:21:05,500 --> 00:21:07,476 {\an1}They are the intermediaries 410 00:21:07,500 --> 00:21:11,142 {\an1}between the Maya deities and the local population. 411 00:21:11,166 --> 00:21:15,676 {\an1}Well, ceremony had, had a huge role in the Maya society. 412 00:21:15,700 --> 00:21:19,342 {\an1}In fact, almost everything Maya people did and still do today 413 00:21:19,366 --> 00:21:22,609 {\an1}begins with a large or small ceremony, 414 00:21:22,633 --> 00:21:25,676 from birth, to accession to the throne, 415 00:21:25,700 --> 00:21:28,242 {\an1}to war, and every action 416 00:21:28,266 --> 00:21:30,642 was celebrated by a religious ceremony 417 00:21:30,666 --> 00:21:35,109 {\an1}and we see that in the carvings, on stone monuments. 418 00:21:35,133 --> 00:21:37,509 ♪ ♪ 419 00:21:37,533 --> 00:21:42,242 NARRATOR: Stelae were monuments carved with hieroglyphs, 420 00:21:42,266 --> 00:21:47,676 {\an1}recording the glory of the ruler and his legitimacy to rule. 421 00:21:47,700 --> 00:21:48,976 REN: The ideology of that time 422 00:21:49,000 --> 00:21:52,042 {\an1}is that only this dynasty can have contact 423 00:21:52,066 --> 00:21:54,642 with Maya deities. 424 00:21:54,666 --> 00:21:58,242 It's a combination of ideology and politics. 425 00:21:58,266 --> 00:22:03,733 ♪ ♪ 426 00:22:05,233 --> 00:22:08,709 NARRATOR: Although every Maya city had its own divine ruler, 427 00:22:08,733 --> 00:22:12,209 {\an1}they were all interconnected by trade and alliances. 428 00:22:12,233 --> 00:22:15,376 DIANE CHASE: Each of these Maya sites is a little tiny city-state. 429 00:22:15,400 --> 00:22:18,342 {\an1}What we're starting to realize is, throughout Maya history, 430 00:22:18,366 --> 00:22:21,909 {\an1}the sites were more in connection with each other. 431 00:22:21,933 --> 00:22:25,776 {\an1}They're largely peaceful and they engage in trade. 432 00:22:25,800 --> 00:22:29,509 And so over time, these different states become 433 00:22:29,533 --> 00:22:32,042 {\an1}dependent on each other for specific goods. 434 00:22:32,066 --> 00:22:35,642 {\an7}One of the things that we see in the Maya world 435 00:22:35,666 --> 00:22:39,342 {\an7}is the rise of some very large 436 00:22:39,366 --> 00:22:44,242 {\an7}supercenters, big cities, places like Caracol in Belize, 437 00:22:44,266 --> 00:22:48,676 {\an1}Tikal in Guatemala, Calakmul in Mexico. 438 00:22:48,700 --> 00:22:54,509 {\an8}NARRATOR: Through the Maya Classic period, from 250 to 700, 439 00:22:54,533 --> 00:22:58,476 {\an7}the Maya cities and populations grew to a peak. 440 00:22:58,500 --> 00:23:02,276 Yet by the year 900, almost all the great cities 441 00:23:02,300 --> 00:23:04,942 of the Southern Maya were abandoned, 442 00:23:04,966 --> 00:23:07,909 even Caracol. 443 00:23:07,933 --> 00:23:10,242 DIANE CHASE: We're at the top of Canaa, 444 00:23:10,266 --> 00:23:13,209 {\an1}and this is the royal palace. 445 00:23:13,233 --> 00:23:16,676 {\an1}We know, when they left Canaa at the end of the Classic period, 446 00:23:16,700 --> 00:23:17,876 {\an1}that they left pretty quickly. 447 00:23:17,900 --> 00:23:19,976 {\an1}And one of the places that gives us those clues 448 00:23:20,000 --> 00:23:21,909 {\an7}is, is, right here in that doorway, 449 00:23:21,933 --> 00:23:23,642 {\an7}there was a very young child 450 00:23:23,666 --> 00:23:25,576 {\an7}who was left on the floor unburied, 451 00:23:25,600 --> 00:23:27,976 {\an7}which is not a typical Maya way of doing things. 452 00:23:28,000 --> 00:23:30,242 {\an8}There was violence. 453 00:23:30,266 --> 00:23:33,876 {\an7}There are evidences of weaponry, mace heads, 454 00:23:33,900 --> 00:23:37,242 {\an7}and other kinds of things that are on the floor. 455 00:23:37,266 --> 00:23:40,642 {\an1}The downtown of Caracol was burnt around A.D. 895, 456 00:23:40,666 --> 00:23:45,309 {\an1}and then the downtown is completely abandoned. 457 00:23:45,333 --> 00:23:49,542 {\an1}The site itself is, is abandoned shortly thereafter. 458 00:23:49,566 --> 00:23:52,209 {\an1}The site is completely abandoned for a thousand years. 459 00:23:52,233 --> 00:23:54,376 ♪ ♪ 460 00:23:54,400 --> 00:23:55,909 {\an1}Once they're gone, they're gone, 461 00:23:55,933 --> 00:23:59,433 {\an1}and the forest comes back and takes over the site. 462 00:24:03,266 --> 00:24:06,709 {\an8}NARRATOR: The beginning of decline for Classic Maya cities 463 00:24:06,733 --> 00:24:12,176 {\an8}began around 750, when people started to leave. 464 00:24:12,200 --> 00:24:15,942 {\an1}What would cause the Maya to leave their farms, homes, 465 00:24:15,966 --> 00:24:19,166 {\an1}and spectacular cities? 466 00:24:20,733 --> 00:24:23,642 {\an1}Archaeologist Julie Hoggarth is studying factors 467 00:24:23,666 --> 00:24:26,676 {\an1}that disrupted the ancient Maya way of life. 468 00:24:26,700 --> 00:24:29,876 HOGGARTH: Around 750, we start to see the beginnings 469 00:24:29,900 --> 00:24:33,609 {\an5}of decline in Classic Maya society. 470 00:24:33,633 --> 00:24:36,376 {\an7}We start to see the cities being abandoned, 471 00:24:36,400 --> 00:24:38,309 {\an8}the end of monumental construction, 472 00:24:38,333 --> 00:24:40,676 {\an7}the end of carved monuments. 473 00:24:40,700 --> 00:24:45,009 NARRATOR: In the ninth century, cities across the Southern Maya world 474 00:24:45,033 --> 00:24:47,542 {\an1}were following the same pattern: 475 00:24:47,566 --> 00:24:50,342 {\an1}the last recorded dates appeared on their monuments, 476 00:24:50,366 --> 00:24:52,942 and then abandonment. 477 00:24:52,966 --> 00:24:55,676 AWE: With this progression, we also see the decline 478 00:24:55,700 --> 00:24:57,809 {\an1}of the whole economic system, 479 00:24:57,833 --> 00:24:59,376 {\an1}not just the political system. 480 00:24:59,400 --> 00:25:02,876 So, trade networks start to fall apart. 481 00:25:02,900 --> 00:25:06,042 ♪ ♪ 482 00:25:06,066 --> 00:25:08,376 NARRATOR: What changed for the ancient Maya? 483 00:25:08,400 --> 00:25:15,500 {\an1}One of the clues was found deep in the caves of Belize. 484 00:25:16,700 --> 00:25:19,976 AWE: Some years ago, some colleagues of mine from the 485 00:25:20,000 --> 00:25:22,409 {\an1}University of California, Santa Barbara, 486 00:25:22,433 --> 00:25:24,909 as well as the University of New Mexico, 487 00:25:24,933 --> 00:25:28,609 {\an1}collected a speleothem in Yok Balam cave in Toledo District. 488 00:25:28,633 --> 00:25:35,009 {\an7}That study was really a major breakthrough for us. 489 00:25:35,033 --> 00:25:39,276 {\an8}NARRATOR: Speleothems, better known as stalactites or stalagmites, 490 00:25:39,300 --> 00:25:41,376 {\an7}can take centuries to form. 491 00:25:41,400 --> 00:25:44,142 {\an7}Acidic rainwater dissolves the rock, 492 00:25:44,166 --> 00:25:45,876 {\an7}and drips down into the cave, 493 00:25:45,900 --> 00:25:48,666 {\an7}forming annual layers like tree rings. 494 00:25:50,900 --> 00:25:53,409 {\an7}Variations in the record of oxygen molecules... 495 00:25:53,433 --> 00:25:56,409 {\an8}or isotopes... From one layer to the next 496 00:25:56,433 --> 00:26:00,376 {\an7}reflect the temperature and moisture outside the cave. 497 00:26:00,400 --> 00:26:02,876 {\an8}To pinpoint the age of each ring, 498 00:26:02,900 --> 00:26:06,842 {\an7}the amounts of two elements, uranium and thorium, 499 00:26:06,866 --> 00:26:08,142 {\an8}are compared. 500 00:26:08,166 --> 00:26:11,376 {\an7}They reveal a thousand-year-old weather report. 501 00:26:11,400 --> 00:26:16,242 AWE: What you're looking at is the oxygen isotopes in each ring. 502 00:26:16,266 --> 00:26:20,042 {\an1}Today we can also date each of these rings, 503 00:26:20,066 --> 00:26:23,342 so you can develop a climatic record 504 00:26:23,366 --> 00:26:26,542 {\an1}for thousands and thousands of years. 505 00:26:26,566 --> 00:26:31,242 {\an7}The results indicated that during the early Classic period, 506 00:26:31,266 --> 00:26:34,109 {\an7}weather conditions were really, really good. 507 00:26:34,133 --> 00:26:36,042 {\an7}It's also at this time that, 508 00:26:36,066 --> 00:26:39,642 {\an8}you know, Maya populations are expanding. 509 00:26:39,666 --> 00:26:43,742 {\an7}But then you start to get into the second half 510 00:26:43,766 --> 00:26:45,442 {\an7}of the late Classic period, 511 00:26:45,466 --> 00:26:50,576 {\an7}and that's when things really start to change. 512 00:26:50,600 --> 00:26:54,242 {\an8}NARRATOR: The analysis showed that starting around the year 750, 513 00:26:54,266 --> 00:26:57,042 {\an7}the weather fluctuated between very dry 514 00:26:57,066 --> 00:26:59,109 {\an7}and very wet conditions. 515 00:26:59,133 --> 00:27:00,742 {\an8}HOGGARTH: So what we see 516 00:27:00,766 --> 00:27:03,309 {\an7}in the eighth century, towards the end of the eighth century... 517 00:27:03,333 --> 00:27:05,042 {\an8}(thunder rumbling) 518 00:27:05,066 --> 00:27:07,009 {\an7}...is the climate going back and forth 519 00:27:07,033 --> 00:27:09,476 {\an7}between high precipitation and low precipitation 520 00:27:09,500 --> 00:27:12,342 {\an8}for about 50 years. 521 00:27:12,366 --> 00:27:14,476 {\an1}So you can imagine the impacts that would have had 522 00:27:14,500 --> 00:27:16,609 {\an1}if you're trying to plant your crops, 523 00:27:16,633 --> 00:27:18,242 {\an1}and every year is something different. 524 00:27:18,266 --> 00:27:20,042 {\an8}♪ ♪ 525 00:27:20,066 --> 00:27:23,309 {\an7}And as we transition into the ninth century, 526 00:27:23,333 --> 00:27:26,509 {\an7}what we see is this period of almost a century 527 00:27:26,533 --> 00:27:31,876 {\an7}where you have prolonged drought, severe drought. 528 00:27:31,900 --> 00:27:33,909 {\an7}The ancient Maya were very resilient. 529 00:27:33,933 --> 00:27:36,409 {\an1}They'd persisted through droughts in the past. 530 00:27:36,433 --> 00:27:38,609 ♪ ♪ 531 00:27:38,633 --> 00:27:40,542 NARRATOR: What was different about the droughts 532 00:27:40,566 --> 00:27:43,909 {\an1}at the turn of the ninth century that contributed to widespread 533 00:27:43,933 --> 00:27:45,909 social disruption? 534 00:27:45,933 --> 00:27:48,809 ♪ ♪ 535 00:27:48,833 --> 00:27:53,076 {\an1}One answer is in the bones of the ancient Maya. 536 00:27:53,100 --> 00:27:55,609 ♪ ♪ 537 00:27:55,633 --> 00:27:57,942 {\an8}HOGGARTH: Hey, guys. 538 00:27:57,966 --> 00:28:00,509 {\an8}NARRATOR: Julie Hoggarth is using a new technique 539 00:28:00,533 --> 00:28:03,942 {\an7}to analyze more than a thousand years of Maya population 540 00:28:03,966 --> 00:28:07,742 {\an1}to understand their diet, lifestyle, what changed, 541 00:28:07,766 --> 00:28:09,876 and when. 542 00:28:09,900 --> 00:28:12,642 {\an1}HOGGARTH (voiceover): Another major revolution 543 00:28:12,666 --> 00:28:14,409 {\an1}in radiocarbon dating 544 00:28:14,433 --> 00:28:16,866 {\an1}is the development of high-precision radiocarbon. 545 00:28:18,400 --> 00:28:21,376 {\an8}So in the past, you might have 546 00:28:21,400 --> 00:28:22,676 {\an7}plus or minus 100 years. 547 00:28:22,700 --> 00:28:25,909 {\an7}With high-precision dates, you get plus or minus 548 00:28:25,933 --> 00:28:28,642 {\an7}15 to 20, uncalibrated. 549 00:28:28,666 --> 00:28:31,976 {\an7}So what that does is, it brings in your error 550 00:28:32,000 --> 00:28:34,033 {\an1}pretty significantly. 551 00:28:36,333 --> 00:28:39,176 NARRATOR: In the laboratory at Baylor University, 552 00:28:39,200 --> 00:28:44,076 {\an1}a tiny sample of bone tells a very detailed story. 553 00:28:44,100 --> 00:28:46,566 {\an1}So we have a bone sample here. 554 00:28:48,066 --> 00:28:51,242 {\an1}And we just need a small piece of bone. 555 00:28:51,266 --> 00:28:54,509 {\an8}(voiceover): What you need to do is to purify 556 00:28:54,533 --> 00:28:56,376 {\an8}the bone collagen before you date it 557 00:28:56,400 --> 00:29:00,409 {\an7}in order to get a reliable date. 558 00:29:00,433 --> 00:29:02,542 {\an1}Now, the radiocarbon dating 559 00:29:02,566 --> 00:29:05,176 tells us when these individuals lived, 560 00:29:05,200 --> 00:29:08,709 {\an1}and the stable isotopes tell us 561 00:29:08,733 --> 00:29:11,633 what people ate. 562 00:29:13,300 --> 00:29:16,409 NARRATOR: A study published in 2019 563 00:29:16,433 --> 00:29:20,342 {\an1}showed the diet of the ancient Maya in the Belize Valley 564 00:29:20,366 --> 00:29:22,309 changed over time. 565 00:29:22,333 --> 00:29:26,976 HOGGARTH: A drought that occurred in the early Classic period, 566 00:29:27,000 --> 00:29:32,409 {\an1}around 250, 300 A.D., what we see is that the diet 567 00:29:32,433 --> 00:29:36,676 {\an1}was much more varied during that time for the ancient Maya. 568 00:29:36,700 --> 00:29:38,842 And it appears that 569 00:29:38,866 --> 00:29:43,776 {\an1}the effects of the drought were not as harsh. 570 00:29:43,800 --> 00:29:46,242 {\an1}But what we see in the late Classic is, 571 00:29:46,266 --> 00:29:48,342 {\an1}that's really not the case. 572 00:29:48,366 --> 00:29:51,742 {\an1}They didn't have as much diversity in their diet. 573 00:29:51,766 --> 00:29:54,976 NARRATOR: With more than a century of wet weather, 574 00:29:55,000 --> 00:29:57,176 {\an1}the Maya cities grew rapidly, 575 00:29:57,200 --> 00:29:59,509 {\an1}shifting the Maya diet from a mix 576 00:29:59,533 --> 00:30:03,976 {\an1}of wild foods and agriculture to rely more on corn. 577 00:30:04,000 --> 00:30:05,476 AWE: Over time, it becomes 578 00:30:05,500 --> 00:30:07,709 {\an1}very clear that the Maya began 579 00:30:07,733 --> 00:30:10,109 {\an1}to extend their production of corn. 580 00:30:10,133 --> 00:30:12,776 {\an1}There are some great things about corn, because 581 00:30:12,800 --> 00:30:16,509 you can produce lots of it and you can store it. 582 00:30:16,533 --> 00:30:18,842 {\an1}But there are also some problems with corn, 583 00:30:18,866 --> 00:30:21,276 and that is that it requires 584 00:30:21,300 --> 00:30:24,342 {\an1}a lot of land, and then 585 00:30:24,366 --> 00:30:26,576 {\an1}it relies on precipitation. 586 00:30:26,600 --> 00:30:29,076 NARRATOR: The reliance on corn, 587 00:30:29,100 --> 00:30:31,342 {\an1}combined with extended droughts, 588 00:30:31,366 --> 00:30:34,842 {\an1}might have fueled a crisis, especially for those in power. 589 00:30:34,866 --> 00:30:37,076 HOGGARTH: So you can imagine how, 590 00:30:37,100 --> 00:30:40,176 when things do start to go south, 591 00:30:40,200 --> 00:30:44,309 {\an1}and you have no rain, as things get worse and worse, 592 00:30:44,333 --> 00:30:45,976 ancient Maya rulers 593 00:30:46,000 --> 00:30:50,509 {\an1}would have been increasingly appealing to the gods 594 00:30:50,533 --> 00:30:53,376 for rain to come, because they are meant to be 595 00:30:53,400 --> 00:30:56,442 the rain-bringers... They are deities themselves. 596 00:30:56,466 --> 00:30:58,976 {\an1}And so, without rain, 597 00:30:59,000 --> 00:31:02,542 {\an1}part of their rulership falls apart. 598 00:31:02,566 --> 00:31:04,976 HELMKE: When things go bad, 599 00:31:05,000 --> 00:31:06,809 {\an1}you pretend that everything is going fine. 600 00:31:06,833 --> 00:31:10,176 {\an1}You stick to the status quo as long as you possibly can. 601 00:31:10,200 --> 00:31:13,742 {\an1}And when that doesn't work, then you have to find alternatives. 602 00:31:13,766 --> 00:31:18,342 {\an7}One of the ways that political leaders would try to address 603 00:31:18,366 --> 00:31:22,942 {\an7}the situation is by, you know, increased ritual activity. 604 00:31:22,966 --> 00:31:25,842 ♪ ♪ 605 00:31:25,866 --> 00:31:31,142 NARRATOR: To ensure fertility, prosperity, and life-giving rain, 606 00:31:31,166 --> 00:31:34,642 {\an1}the k'uhul ajaw divine lords would offer a sacrifice 607 00:31:34,666 --> 00:31:37,576 to the gods of their own sacred blood. 608 00:31:37,600 --> 00:31:42,942 ESTRADA-BELLI: Bloodletting was a big component of Maya religion. 609 00:31:42,966 --> 00:31:47,576 {\an7}It was an effort to reestablish the balance in, in the universe. 610 00:31:47,600 --> 00:31:51,776 {\an1}And you would make an offering so that, you know, you, 611 00:31:51,800 --> 00:31:53,976 {\an1}you'll be able to be rewarded. 612 00:31:54,000 --> 00:31:56,809 {\an1}(birds chirping, fire crackling) 613 00:31:56,833 --> 00:32:01,309 NARRATOR: Divine rulers didn't just offer sacrifices at temples. 614 00:32:01,333 --> 00:32:04,709 {\an1}Sometimes they went to where the gods lived. 615 00:32:04,733 --> 00:32:07,409 ♪ ♪ 616 00:32:07,433 --> 00:32:12,142 {\an1}In 1989, Jaime Awe was the first archaeologist 617 00:32:12,166 --> 00:32:14,076 {\an1}to visit what is now, 618 00:32:14,100 --> 00:32:17,242 {\an1}in consultation with local Maya communities, 619 00:32:17,266 --> 00:32:21,676 {\an1}a national archaeological reserve. 620 00:32:21,700 --> 00:32:25,409 AWE: The Maya believed that caves was the location 621 00:32:25,433 --> 00:32:28,509 where many of their gods lived. 622 00:32:28,533 --> 00:32:31,942 {\an1}One of the most important gods that lives inside of caves 623 00:32:31,966 --> 00:32:33,976 is the rain god. 624 00:32:34,000 --> 00:32:36,176 {\an1}Cave rituals began probably 625 00:32:36,200 --> 00:32:38,476 {\an1}as early as the Maya settled this region, 626 00:32:38,500 --> 00:32:42,700 {\an1}going back to about 1200 B.C. 627 00:32:46,966 --> 00:32:51,509 {\an1}And the Maya, it appears, as, you know, 628 00:32:51,533 --> 00:32:52,776 as time went by 629 00:32:52,800 --> 00:32:55,776 {\an1}and cave use intensified, 630 00:32:55,800 --> 00:32:59,042 started going deeper and deeper into the cave. 631 00:32:59,066 --> 00:33:03,376 ♪ ♪ 632 00:33:03,400 --> 00:33:05,742 {\an1}We're just over a kilometer from the main entrance 633 00:33:05,766 --> 00:33:08,476 {\an1}to Actun Tunichil Muknal, 634 00:33:08,500 --> 00:33:11,966 {\an1}or Cave of the Stone Sepulcher. 635 00:33:14,800 --> 00:33:18,242 {\an1}I was the first archaeologist to come into this cave, 636 00:33:18,266 --> 00:33:22,509 {\an1}and I realized that it provided a unique opportunity 637 00:33:22,533 --> 00:33:25,733 to study a cave that had been unlooted. 638 00:33:27,033 --> 00:33:30,276 {\an7}I was also struck by the sheer quantity 639 00:33:30,300 --> 00:33:34,700 {\an7}of archaeological remains inside the cave. 640 00:33:35,866 --> 00:33:38,176 {\an1}The ancient Maya would often 641 00:33:38,200 --> 00:33:42,276 {\an1}come into the caves and bring offerings to their gods. 642 00:33:42,300 --> 00:33:44,342 {\an1}Many of the ceramic vessels 643 00:33:44,366 --> 00:33:48,076 {\an1}in which they would bring food in as offerings 644 00:33:48,100 --> 00:33:51,476 {\an1}would sometimes be smashed or terminated. 645 00:33:51,500 --> 00:33:54,876 The termination sometimes included 646 00:33:54,900 --> 00:33:57,276 {\an1}just taking a little piece off the rim, 647 00:33:57,300 --> 00:34:00,409 {\an1}sometimes cutting a hole, which we call 648 00:34:00,433 --> 00:34:02,809 {\an1}a kill hole, or sometimes even 649 00:34:02,833 --> 00:34:05,176 {\an1}smashing the vessel completely. 650 00:34:05,200 --> 00:34:07,376 NARRATOR: The offerings to the gods 651 00:34:07,400 --> 00:34:11,342 {\an1}are just as they were when the ancient Maya left 652 00:34:11,366 --> 00:34:12,909 {\an1}more than a thousand years ago. 653 00:34:12,933 --> 00:34:16,709 {\an1}We have a pot back here that you can see, 654 00:34:16,733 --> 00:34:19,209 {\an1}it looks like it was made yesterday, 655 00:34:19,233 --> 00:34:21,776 {\an1}but it's actually almost a thousand years old. 656 00:34:21,800 --> 00:34:24,842 {\an1}And it had three legs, 657 00:34:24,866 --> 00:34:26,509 {\an1}and the Maya knocked them off, 658 00:34:26,533 --> 00:34:29,009 {\an1}and then they smashed the vessel. 659 00:34:29,033 --> 00:34:33,076 {\an8}So right here, you can see the two legs 660 00:34:33,100 --> 00:34:36,642 {\an7}that came off the bottom of that one vessel. 661 00:34:36,666 --> 00:34:39,676 {\an8}If you lift them up, 662 00:34:39,700 --> 00:34:42,076 {\an7}there are three little rattles 663 00:34:42,100 --> 00:34:46,309 {\an8}that would've been inside of the leg. 664 00:34:46,333 --> 00:34:47,542 {\an1}And then we look at the charcoal dates 665 00:34:47,566 --> 00:34:49,742 {\an1}or the radiocarbon dates that we get, 666 00:34:49,766 --> 00:34:52,009 {\an1}and that helps us to fine-tune 667 00:34:52,033 --> 00:34:53,776 {\an1}when many of these activities 668 00:34:53,800 --> 00:34:55,609 were taking place. 669 00:34:55,633 --> 00:34:59,509 {\an1}And what we find is that it coincides 670 00:34:59,533 --> 00:35:02,576 {\an1}with increased cave ritual 671 00:35:02,600 --> 00:35:06,342 {\an1}during the time of the decline of the large cities. 672 00:35:06,366 --> 00:35:09,542 {\an1}And we also start to see 673 00:35:09,566 --> 00:35:11,342 {\an1}an increase or a ramping-up 674 00:35:11,366 --> 00:35:13,442 {\an1}of human sacrifice in this cave. 675 00:35:13,466 --> 00:35:16,609 {\an1}And so they're upping the ante. 676 00:35:16,633 --> 00:35:19,976 {\an1}They're really, you know, beseeching their gods 677 00:35:20,000 --> 00:35:22,176 {\an1}to come out and make rain 678 00:35:22,200 --> 00:35:24,309 to, you know, ensure that there's balance 679 00:35:24,333 --> 00:35:26,409 in their universe. 680 00:35:26,433 --> 00:35:29,309 ♪ ♪ 681 00:35:29,333 --> 00:35:33,042 NARRATOR: These were not the only offerings made to the gods 682 00:35:33,066 --> 00:35:35,900 in a desperate time. 683 00:35:38,133 --> 00:35:40,242 ESTRADA-BELLI: When the Maya king 684 00:35:40,266 --> 00:35:41,842 had a captive, 685 00:35:41,866 --> 00:35:43,942 {\an1}there was a royal status that was 686 00:35:43,966 --> 00:35:47,242 {\an1}very significant not only for political importance, 687 00:35:47,266 --> 00:35:49,476 but also for its religious value. 688 00:35:49,500 --> 00:35:53,376 {\an1}The blood of kings was the ultimate gift. 689 00:35:53,400 --> 00:35:56,176 Maya sacrifice is, 690 00:35:56,200 --> 00:35:58,909 {\an1}is not something that was terribly common. 691 00:35:58,933 --> 00:36:02,309 {\an1}And that was part of the cycle of warfare 692 00:36:02,333 --> 00:36:05,742 {\an1}and part of the religious system, but of course, 693 00:36:05,766 --> 00:36:07,609 every civilization of the ancient world 694 00:36:07,633 --> 00:36:09,766 {\an1}killed their enemies. 695 00:36:11,200 --> 00:36:14,442 {\an1}Now, warfare has been going on from the, 696 00:36:14,466 --> 00:36:17,909 {\an7}you know, early establishment of Maya society, 697 00:36:17,933 --> 00:36:21,342 {\an7}but from around 750 A.D., it's accelerating 698 00:36:21,366 --> 00:36:24,609 {\an8}as time goes by. 699 00:36:24,633 --> 00:36:25,610 {\an8}HELMKE: All of this is creating 700 00:36:25,634 --> 00:36:28,009 {\an7}a whole crescendo of reactions. 701 00:36:28,033 --> 00:36:31,742 {\an7}It's building more warfare, more social antagonisms, 702 00:36:31,766 --> 00:36:33,833 {\an1}et cetera, et cetera. 703 00:36:35,133 --> 00:36:40,176 NARRATOR: In the small Maya city of Baking Pot in Belize, 704 00:36:40,200 --> 00:36:43,376 {\an1}an excavation in 2015 uncovered 705 00:36:43,400 --> 00:36:46,009 {\an1}an intriguing object, 706 00:36:46,033 --> 00:36:48,476 {\an1}opening a new window into this turbulent time 707 00:36:48,500 --> 00:36:49,809 in Maya history. 708 00:36:49,833 --> 00:36:51,109 AWE: Julie Hoggarth and I decided, 709 00:36:51,133 --> 00:36:52,976 {\an1}"Well, let's come here 710 00:36:53,000 --> 00:36:57,576 {\an1}"in the palace complex and excavate 711 00:36:57,600 --> 00:37:01,976 {\an7}the northeastern corner of this area." 712 00:37:02,000 --> 00:37:03,109 {\an1}This is pretty atypical for Baking Pot. 713 00:37:03,133 --> 00:37:05,733 Very atypical. 714 00:37:07,066 --> 00:37:09,509 NARRATOR: One of the enigmas of many ancient Maya cities 715 00:37:09,533 --> 00:37:13,276 is the termination or abandonment deposits 716 00:37:13,300 --> 00:37:15,642 {\an1}found outside the palace. 717 00:37:15,666 --> 00:37:20,309 ♪ ♪ 718 00:37:20,333 --> 00:37:24,776 {\an7}This area of the site is in the ceremonial part of Baking Pot, 719 00:37:24,800 --> 00:37:26,476 {\an7}but more importantly, 720 00:37:26,500 --> 00:37:29,076 {\an7}where we are in this corner 721 00:37:29,100 --> 00:37:34,842 {\an7}is at the entrance into the royal palace complex. 722 00:37:34,866 --> 00:37:37,009 {\an1}As soon as we hit maybe, you know, 723 00:37:37,033 --> 00:37:39,009 {\an1}a meter, half a meter below surface, 724 00:37:39,033 --> 00:37:42,209 {\an7}we started to come across these huge deposits. 725 00:37:42,233 --> 00:37:44,909 {\an8}♪ ♪ 726 00:37:44,933 --> 00:37:47,876 {\an8}NARRATOR: Inside the deposit were high-quality goods, 727 00:37:47,900 --> 00:37:50,242 mostly smashed. 728 00:37:50,266 --> 00:37:52,376 HOGGARTH: We're finding musical instruments, 729 00:37:52,400 --> 00:37:54,209 {\an1}we're finding figurines. 730 00:37:54,233 --> 00:37:56,009 AWE: We're finding large 731 00:37:56,033 --> 00:37:58,633 {\an1}deposits of artifacts. 732 00:38:00,200 --> 00:38:03,076 {\an1}And it's in the middle of this deposit 733 00:38:03,100 --> 00:38:05,276 {\an1}where we found the Komkom vase. 734 00:38:05,300 --> 00:38:10,809 ♪ ♪ 735 00:38:10,833 --> 00:38:12,809 NARRATOR: Scattered in the deposit 736 00:38:12,833 --> 00:38:16,009 were pieces of an elaborate vase, 737 00:38:16,033 --> 00:38:18,942 {\an1}decorated with the symbol of the lord of Komkom, 738 00:38:18,966 --> 00:38:21,976 {\an1}a city whose location is still a mystery. 739 00:38:22,000 --> 00:38:23,976 AWE: Whenever we discover any object 740 00:38:24,000 --> 00:38:26,076 {\an1}that has hieroglyphic inscriptions, 741 00:38:26,100 --> 00:38:29,742 {\an1}the first thing I tend to do is, I take a photograph of it, 742 00:38:29,766 --> 00:38:33,433 {\an1}and we send it off to Christophe in Copenhagen. 743 00:38:34,900 --> 00:38:37,776 {\an1}I first heard about the Komkom vase 744 00:38:37,800 --> 00:38:41,676 {\an1}when Julie sent me a message on my mobile phone 745 00:38:41,700 --> 00:38:44,242 {\an1}with a little photograph of four conjoining shards 746 00:38:44,266 --> 00:38:45,776 of the Komkom vase. 747 00:38:45,800 --> 00:38:49,776 {\an1}Then I immediately saw that this was a very important find. 748 00:38:49,800 --> 00:38:52,376 {\an1}And so, I just wrote back to Julie right away and said, 749 00:38:52,400 --> 00:38:55,109 "Find more!", with an exclamation point. 750 00:38:55,133 --> 00:38:56,077 And so they did. 751 00:38:56,101 --> 00:38:57,442 ♪ ♪ 752 00:38:57,466 --> 00:39:00,142 (camera clicking) 753 00:39:00,166 --> 00:39:03,442 {\an1}I immediately saw that this was going to be a lot of work, 754 00:39:03,466 --> 00:39:05,309 {\an1}because there's 86 shards 755 00:39:05,333 --> 00:39:07,376 {\an1}that we had to put back together. 756 00:39:07,400 --> 00:39:09,809 {\an1}By the end of the second day, it had dawned on me that, 757 00:39:09,833 --> 00:39:12,442 wait a minute, this is all glyphs, 758 00:39:12,466 --> 00:39:13,842 {\an1}and it just keeps going and going and going. 759 00:39:13,866 --> 00:39:15,242 ♪ ♪ 760 00:39:15,266 --> 00:39:17,076 {\an1}And I realized this is 761 00:39:17,100 --> 00:39:18,876 {\an1}the longest hieroglyphic text 762 00:39:18,900 --> 00:39:21,542 on a vase ever found in the Maya area. 763 00:39:21,566 --> 00:39:25,276 NARRATOR: Archaeologists believe the Komkom text 764 00:39:25,300 --> 00:39:27,809 {\an1}is the only story of its kind ever found, 765 00:39:27,833 --> 00:39:29,776 {\an1}written by the ancient Maya 766 00:39:29,800 --> 00:39:32,709 {\an1}at a time of instability and disruption. 767 00:39:32,733 --> 00:39:35,242 AWE: The Komkom vase starts to tell us 768 00:39:35,266 --> 00:39:40,109 {\an1}about events that took place in February of 799 A.D. 769 00:39:40,133 --> 00:39:43,609 {\an1}This is a critical period in Maya history. 770 00:39:43,633 --> 00:39:47,309 {\an1}I mean, this is the time when many of the large cities 771 00:39:47,333 --> 00:39:51,809 {\an1}start to decline, and many of them start to be abandoned, 772 00:39:51,833 --> 00:39:53,442 depopulated. 773 00:39:53,466 --> 00:39:57,109 {\an1}And then, bam, you know, we have this Komkom vase 774 00:39:57,133 --> 00:39:59,409 {\an1}that fills in sort of this void 775 00:39:59,433 --> 00:40:03,042 {\an1}around this specific time period. 776 00:40:03,066 --> 00:40:04,209 It is the Maya 777 00:40:04,233 --> 00:40:07,342 {\an7}now relating to us many of the events 778 00:40:07,366 --> 00:40:10,542 {\an7}that unfold during one of the most critical periods 779 00:40:10,566 --> 00:40:12,776 {\an8}of their history. 780 00:40:12,800 --> 00:40:14,842 {\an1}It's difficult not to use superlatives 781 00:40:14,866 --> 00:40:16,209 {\an1}when you're describing it. 782 00:40:16,233 --> 00:40:18,542 It is a completely, completely unique vase. 783 00:40:18,566 --> 00:40:20,076 {\an1}There's nothing like it. 784 00:40:20,100 --> 00:40:22,909 AWE: You had to have had a scribe 785 00:40:22,933 --> 00:40:26,842 {\an1}who, one, knew to read Maya script, 786 00:40:26,866 --> 00:40:28,109 and then to be able 787 00:40:28,133 --> 00:40:31,909 {\an1}to exactly gauge the size of these glyphs 788 00:40:31,933 --> 00:40:33,476 {\an1}to be able to fit all this narrative. 789 00:40:33,500 --> 00:40:35,376 ♪ ♪ 790 00:40:35,400 --> 00:40:38,009 REN: These are prestige items 791 00:40:38,033 --> 00:40:42,342 {\an1}produced by very skillful artisans 792 00:40:42,366 --> 00:40:44,542 {\an1}who not only are artists, 793 00:40:44,566 --> 00:40:48,076 {\an1}but also have the knowledge to write. 794 00:40:48,100 --> 00:40:50,242 NARRATOR: The art of writing the hieroglyphs 795 00:40:50,266 --> 00:40:52,676 {\an1}was something the Maya had lost, 796 00:40:52,700 --> 00:40:54,576 {\an1}the result of a deliberate campaign 797 00:40:54,600 --> 00:40:56,509 {\an1}to destroy their culture. 798 00:40:56,533 --> 00:40:58,042 ESTRADA-BELLI: Well, the hieroglyphs, you know, 799 00:40:58,066 --> 00:41:00,542 their literature is what is also 800 00:41:00,566 --> 00:41:02,676 {\an7}a very important component of the civilization 801 00:41:02,700 --> 00:41:05,942 {\an8}that was lost during the Spanish conquest. 802 00:41:05,966 --> 00:41:09,609 {\an1}And that happened as a deliberate consequence 803 00:41:09,633 --> 00:41:13,176 {\an1}of the religious imposition that the Spanish brought. 804 00:41:13,200 --> 00:41:16,442 {\an1}And within a couple of generations, 805 00:41:16,466 --> 00:41:18,376 {\an1}that knowledge was lost, 806 00:41:18,400 --> 00:41:20,442 because nobody could read the hieroglyphs. 807 00:41:20,466 --> 00:41:22,676 {\an1}So the decipherment of the hieroglyphs 808 00:41:22,700 --> 00:41:25,209 {\an1}has been extremely important to the modern Maya, 809 00:41:25,233 --> 00:41:27,309 {\an1}the contemporary Maya, 810 00:41:27,333 --> 00:41:30,976 {\an1}because there's been a great interest in, on their part 811 00:41:31,000 --> 00:41:34,309 {\an1}in trying to regain, you know, their, that knowledge, 812 00:41:34,333 --> 00:41:36,876 and try to reconnect with their past. 813 00:41:36,900 --> 00:41:40,642 NARRATOR: Iyaxel Cojti Ren is an epigrapher, 814 00:41:40,666 --> 00:41:44,009 {\an1}an archaeologist who studies ancient writing. 815 00:41:44,033 --> 00:41:45,809 {\an1}She can read the Mayan glyphs. 816 00:41:45,833 --> 00:41:48,476 {\an8}REN: But right now, we only have a few artifacts 817 00:41:48,500 --> 00:41:50,476 {\an7}that tell us about the huge knowledge they had 818 00:41:50,500 --> 00:41:53,376 {\an8}in the past, and it would be good that 819 00:41:53,400 --> 00:41:55,909 {\an7}through the learning of Maya epigraphy, 820 00:41:55,933 --> 00:41:59,642 {\an7}we can recover that knowledge, at least a portion of that. 821 00:41:59,666 --> 00:42:01,409 ♪ ♪ 822 00:42:01,433 --> 00:42:04,242 {\an1}Since 2010, we starting organize workshops 823 00:42:04,266 --> 00:42:06,576 {\an1}to teach Maya epigraphy, 824 00:42:06,600 --> 00:42:09,342 {\an1}but Maya culture in general... 825 00:42:09,366 --> 00:42:12,242 {\an1}about our own culture, our own history. 826 00:42:12,266 --> 00:42:13,609 {\an1}And it's not only about, 827 00:42:13,633 --> 00:42:16,009 {\an1}"This is how you should read," 828 00:42:16,033 --> 00:42:18,142 {\an1}but, "This is how we are sharing knowledge." 829 00:42:18,166 --> 00:42:20,076 ♪ ♪ 830 00:42:20,100 --> 00:42:21,476 FRANK TZIB: My name is Frank Tzib. 831 00:42:21,500 --> 00:42:24,976 {\an1}I am from the beautiful village of Oxmul Kah in Belize. 832 00:42:25,000 --> 00:42:27,742 I am a Yucatec Maya. 833 00:42:27,766 --> 00:42:29,509 {\an8}Speaking Maya, 834 00:42:29,533 --> 00:42:31,009 {\an7}I grew up learning about our culture. 835 00:42:31,033 --> 00:42:33,609 {\an7}I grew up practicing many of the traditions 836 00:42:33,633 --> 00:42:35,142 {\an1}that our culture has. 837 00:42:35,166 --> 00:42:37,709 {\an1}That is why I learn how to read glyphs. 838 00:42:37,733 --> 00:42:40,542 {\an1}It's something very special to us, the Maya. 839 00:42:40,566 --> 00:42:43,709 {\an1}I started painting on pottery. 840 00:42:43,733 --> 00:42:45,333 (chuckles): This is what I do now. 841 00:42:46,766 --> 00:42:48,976 NARRATOR: Now modern Maya are reading the glyphs 842 00:42:49,000 --> 00:42:50,576 {\an1}and their ancestors' stories, 843 00:42:50,600 --> 00:42:56,876 {\an1}like this one, made by an elite artisan for the lord of Komkom. 844 00:42:56,900 --> 00:43:01,442 {\an1}(Tzib speaking Yucatec Maya) 845 00:43:01,466 --> 00:43:05,276 (translated): This vase is made for the powerful one. 846 00:43:05,300 --> 00:43:09,542 {\an1}He is the first of the land, the young lord of Komkom. 847 00:43:09,566 --> 00:43:11,676 {\an1}(speaking Yucatec Maya) 848 00:43:11,700 --> 00:43:15,142 HELMKE: Most historical monuments that we have, 849 00:43:15,166 --> 00:43:17,642 {\an1}there are a few years between each sentence. 850 00:43:17,666 --> 00:43:20,576 What we have here are days between sentences. 851 00:43:20,600 --> 00:43:25,009 {\an1}It seems to be a copy of somebody's historical annal 852 00:43:25,033 --> 00:43:29,133 {\an1}or diary that's being recorded, and here there's a copy of it. 853 00:43:30,900 --> 00:43:33,209 NARRATOR: Most inscriptions on Maya stelae 854 00:43:33,233 --> 00:43:36,609 {\an1}are public records of conquests or royal ascensions. 855 00:43:36,633 --> 00:43:40,776 {\an1}Unlike any other known Maya writing found, 856 00:43:40,800 --> 00:43:43,442 {\an1}the Komkom vase contains a personal record 857 00:43:43,466 --> 00:43:48,609 {\an1}from inside major battles in a war between two powerful rulers. 858 00:43:48,633 --> 00:43:51,676 HELMKE: Komkom vase relates a series of 859 00:43:51,700 --> 00:43:54,376 {\an1}fast-paced historical events 860 00:43:54,400 --> 00:43:57,742 {\an1}from the end of February 799. 861 00:43:57,766 --> 00:44:01,042 NARRATOR: The Komkom story tells of a power struggle 862 00:44:01,066 --> 00:44:03,476 {\an1}between two Maya cities. 863 00:44:03,500 --> 00:44:08,542 {\an1}K'inich Lakamtuun ruled Yax-ha. 864 00:44:08,566 --> 00:44:11,933 Kanot Awhil was the lord of Naranjo. 865 00:44:13,200 --> 00:44:17,042 The two rulers had close family ties. 866 00:44:17,066 --> 00:44:19,709 The king of Naranjo at this time, 867 00:44:19,733 --> 00:44:22,976 {\an7}his mother was actually from Yax-ha. 868 00:44:23,000 --> 00:44:26,209 {\an7}So there's a huge amount of family relations 869 00:44:26,233 --> 00:44:30,942 {\an7}between the Naranjo dynasty and the Yax-ha dynasty. 870 00:44:30,966 --> 00:44:34,009 NARRATOR: Their cities were also very close to each other. 871 00:44:34,033 --> 00:44:37,242 HELMKE: Naranjo and Yax-ha are less than a day's walk from one another. 872 00:44:37,266 --> 00:44:42,409 NARRATOR: The story begins in Naranjo, with the blessing of the gods. 873 00:44:42,433 --> 00:44:44,309 {\an1}(Tzib speaking Yucatec Maya) 874 00:44:44,333 --> 00:44:49,209 (translated): On the 19th day of February 799, the fire was drilled. 875 00:44:49,233 --> 00:44:53,609 {\an1}The priest of Naranjo made the ceremonial fire. 876 00:44:53,633 --> 00:44:56,142 HELMKE: With the start of the text of the Komkom vase, 877 00:44:56,166 --> 00:44:59,009 {\an1}is, they relate the drilling of a fire. 878 00:44:59,033 --> 00:45:03,009 A lot of these fires are so-called ritual fires. 879 00:45:03,033 --> 00:45:05,876 ♪ ♪ 880 00:45:05,900 --> 00:45:08,976 NARRATOR: The first battle recorded on the vase 881 00:45:09,000 --> 00:45:12,309 {\an1}is the destruction of a small city by the ruler of Naranjo. 882 00:45:12,333 --> 00:45:15,676 TZIB (translated): Two days later, 883 00:45:15,700 --> 00:45:19,509 {\an1}on the 21st, the city of Sak Suutz' was burned. 884 00:45:19,533 --> 00:45:21,809 {\an1}This is the will of the gods. 885 00:45:21,833 --> 00:45:25,842 NARRATOR: The lord of Naranjo prepares for a larger conquest, 886 00:45:25,866 --> 00:45:28,209 the city of Yax-ha. 887 00:45:28,233 --> 00:45:31,642 TZIB (translated): Seven months and 14 days 888 00:45:31,666 --> 00:45:34,242 {\an1}have passed since the striking 889 00:45:34,266 --> 00:45:36,209 of the sacred fire. 890 00:45:36,233 --> 00:45:40,876 {\an1}The order was given for the destruction of Yax-ha. 891 00:45:40,900 --> 00:45:44,642 {\an1}The middle of the city of Yax-ha was axed. 892 00:45:44,666 --> 00:45:46,509 The lord of Naranjo 893 00:45:46,533 --> 00:45:49,742 {\an1}ascended to control Yax-ha. 894 00:45:49,766 --> 00:45:53,309 ♪ ♪ 895 00:45:53,333 --> 00:45:57,209 NARRATOR: Then the Komkom vase makes fun of the defeated ruler of Yax-ha. 896 00:45:57,233 --> 00:46:02,009 TZIB (translated): And the powerless Yax-ha lord, 897 00:46:02,033 --> 00:46:04,042 {\an1}K'inich Lakamtuun, fled. 898 00:46:04,066 --> 00:46:05,976 (mosquitoes buzzing) 899 00:46:06,000 --> 00:46:12,609 HELMKE: K'inich Lakamtuun flees to a place infested with mosquitoes. 900 00:46:12,633 --> 00:46:17,942 TZIB (translated): He ascended to the place of many mosquitoes, the Yax-ha lord. 901 00:46:17,966 --> 00:46:21,442 HELMKE: The way they're poking fun at him is, is extremely clear. 902 00:46:21,466 --> 00:46:22,809 {\an1}There's no other example 903 00:46:22,833 --> 00:46:24,966 {\an1}of a historical narrative like that. 904 00:46:27,000 --> 00:46:30,342 TZIB (translated): On the third day of September 799, 905 00:46:30,366 --> 00:46:34,576 {\an1}it is the victory dance of the Kek'(e) Ahk. 906 00:46:34,600 --> 00:46:36,109 {\an7}The very end of the narrative, 907 00:46:36,133 --> 00:46:39,309 {\an7}the whole narrative almost builds up to this, is a dance. 908 00:46:39,333 --> 00:46:42,842 {\an1}So the name of the dance would be the frog-like turtle dance. 909 00:46:42,866 --> 00:46:47,766 ♪ ♪ 910 00:46:52,133 --> 00:46:54,609 {\an7}K'inich Lakamtuun is one of the, 911 00:46:54,633 --> 00:46:57,909 {\an7}the last known kings of Yax-ha. 912 00:46:57,933 --> 00:46:59,842 {\an8}After the year 800, 913 00:46:59,866 --> 00:47:02,242 {\an7}there are no more records to K'inich Lakamtuun 914 00:47:02,266 --> 00:47:04,776 {\an1}of Yax-ha, and in fact, no more court monuments 915 00:47:04,800 --> 00:47:06,209 are raised after. 916 00:47:06,233 --> 00:47:12,009 AWE: In many ways, the Komkom vase truly cycles this period 917 00:47:12,033 --> 00:47:17,709 {\an1}of decline and of conflict in the Maya world. 918 00:47:17,733 --> 00:47:20,142 {\an1}It casts a look back at a time 919 00:47:20,166 --> 00:47:22,642 {\an1}of turmoil that in many ways 920 00:47:22,666 --> 00:47:25,409 {\an1}marked the beginning of the terminal Classic, 921 00:47:25,433 --> 00:47:28,642 the beginning of the, the end process. 922 00:47:28,666 --> 00:47:29,909 (crowd yelling) 923 00:47:29,933 --> 00:47:34,642 {\an7}It's created and made and dedicated in 812, 924 00:47:34,666 --> 00:47:37,076 {\an7}at a time when most Maya cities have already collapsed 925 00:47:37,100 --> 00:47:39,342 {\an7}or are undergoing abandonment. 926 00:47:39,366 --> 00:47:43,776 {\an1}And it's found in a deposit that marks the very end 927 00:47:43,800 --> 00:47:46,809 of the institution of royal kingship 928 00:47:46,833 --> 00:47:49,309 {\an1}at the site of Baking Pot. 929 00:47:49,333 --> 00:47:52,733 ♪ ♪ 930 00:47:55,600 --> 00:47:57,642 {\an8}NARRATOR: Yax-ha was only the beginning. 931 00:47:57,666 --> 00:47:59,609 {\an7}Over the next 100 years, 932 00:47:59,633 --> 00:48:02,076 {\an7}the ancient Maya inhabitants left 933 00:48:02,100 --> 00:48:04,876 {\an7}almost all the cities of the Lowland Maya. 934 00:48:04,900 --> 00:48:08,476 {\an8}ESTRADA-BELLI: The timing of the abandonment of Maya city varies. 935 00:48:08,500 --> 00:48:11,109 {\an7}It wasn't an instantaneous process 936 00:48:11,133 --> 00:48:13,009 {\an7}in any shape or form. 937 00:48:13,033 --> 00:48:15,776 {\an7}It was very prolonged process. 938 00:48:15,800 --> 00:48:19,576 {\an1}First, we have the interruption of carving of stone monuments. 939 00:48:19,600 --> 00:48:23,276 {\an1}And so that seems to go away first. 940 00:48:23,300 --> 00:48:27,200 {\an1}And then the elites start disappearing. 941 00:48:30,000 --> 00:48:32,142 NARRATOR: At some point, the combination 942 00:48:32,166 --> 00:48:34,276 {\an1}of factors changed life in the cities 943 00:48:34,300 --> 00:48:35,842 {\an1}of the ancient Maya enough 944 00:48:35,866 --> 00:48:40,142 that one by one, they were abandoned. 945 00:48:40,166 --> 00:48:43,476 DIANE CHASE: For me, one of the, the greatest factors 946 00:48:43,500 --> 00:48:44,876 had to do what, 947 00:48:44,900 --> 00:48:47,609 {\an1}with what the people of Caracol themselves did. 948 00:48:47,633 --> 00:48:49,442 ♪ ♪ 949 00:48:49,466 --> 00:48:53,009 {\an1}Caracol's heyday was in what we call the late Classic. 950 00:48:53,033 --> 00:48:56,176 {\an7}So about 650, 700 A.D., 951 00:48:56,200 --> 00:48:59,476 {\an7}Caracol was at it, its peak in terms of population. 952 00:48:59,500 --> 00:49:01,042 {\an1}At that point in time, 953 00:49:01,066 --> 00:49:04,676 {\an1}everyone on site had access to the same things. 954 00:49:04,700 --> 00:49:06,609 {\an1}If the Maya had the same kind of economy 955 00:49:06,633 --> 00:49:08,442 {\an1}as us, in the late Classic, 956 00:49:08,466 --> 00:49:12,209 {\an1}we would say there was a big middle class. 957 00:49:12,233 --> 00:49:16,076 {\an1}At the end of the Classic period, we see a shift, 958 00:49:16,100 --> 00:49:19,176 {\an1}and access to goods is cut off to a larger degree. 959 00:49:19,200 --> 00:49:21,976 We have the haves and the have-nots. 960 00:49:22,000 --> 00:49:24,742 {\an1}This political system around the k'uhul ajaw, 961 00:49:24,766 --> 00:49:27,609 or the divine ruler, 962 00:49:27,633 --> 00:49:31,376 {\an1}this political system demands a lot 963 00:49:31,400 --> 00:49:35,809 from the population of lower social stratus. 964 00:49:35,833 --> 00:49:39,376 {\an1}It's important to focus on how the commoners react 965 00:49:39,400 --> 00:49:41,376 {\an1}or think about this political system, 966 00:49:41,400 --> 00:49:43,009 and for how long 967 00:49:43,033 --> 00:49:45,876 {\an1}they accept it, and they started to question it. 968 00:49:45,900 --> 00:49:49,809 ♪ ♪ 969 00:49:49,833 --> 00:49:52,642 (birds chirping) 970 00:49:52,666 --> 00:49:56,042 NARRATOR: The final abandonment of the Southern Maya cities 971 00:49:56,066 --> 00:50:00,276 {\an1}ended a unique form of civilization in that region, 972 00:50:00,300 --> 00:50:02,442 {\an1}but the Maya adapted. 973 00:50:02,466 --> 00:50:04,809 ESTRADA-BELLI: So the concept of collapse has been 974 00:50:04,833 --> 00:50:07,742 {\an1}very popular in our literature. 975 00:50:07,766 --> 00:50:10,076 {\an1}You know, it has many negative connotations. 976 00:50:10,100 --> 00:50:14,009 {\an7}So to me, it's not so much a question of the collapse 977 00:50:14,033 --> 00:50:17,876 {\an8}as to the, you know, what caused these people 978 00:50:17,900 --> 00:50:19,976 to, to move? 979 00:50:20,000 --> 00:50:23,042 REN: I agree with several archaeologists who say that 980 00:50:23,066 --> 00:50:27,142 {\an1}Maya collapse has to be understood as a transition. 981 00:50:27,166 --> 00:50:29,742 People don't stay 982 00:50:29,766 --> 00:50:32,476 {\an1}to wait until something better happen. 983 00:50:32,500 --> 00:50:35,076 {\an1}They, they take their belongings 984 00:50:35,100 --> 00:50:38,042 and try to find a better place to live. 985 00:50:38,066 --> 00:50:41,842 ESTRADA-BELLI: There is no doubt that very many cities, 986 00:50:41,866 --> 00:50:43,942 {\an1}in the South, primarily, were abandoned. 987 00:50:43,966 --> 00:50:45,242 At the same time, 988 00:50:45,266 --> 00:50:47,242 {\an1}there were several cities in the North 989 00:50:47,266 --> 00:50:48,909 that were booming. 990 00:50:48,933 --> 00:50:50,742 {\an1}They actually probably received 991 00:50:50,766 --> 00:50:53,109 {\an1}some of that population that left the South 992 00:50:53,133 --> 00:50:54,676 {\an1}right around the year 1000, 993 00:50:54,700 --> 00:50:56,809 when, you know, the South was being depopulated. 994 00:50:56,833 --> 00:51:00,776 {\an1}And the focus of civilization really shift to the North, 995 00:51:00,800 --> 00:51:03,642 {\an1}where it would remain until the arrival of the Spanish, 996 00:51:03,666 --> 00:51:06,909 {\an1}for another 400 years. 997 00:51:06,933 --> 00:51:08,676 ♪ ♪ 998 00:51:08,700 --> 00:51:10,109 NARRATOR: When Europeans arrived, 999 00:51:10,133 --> 00:51:12,576 {\an1}they devastated the Maya with disease 1000 00:51:12,600 --> 00:51:14,742 {\an1}and violent religious conversion, 1001 00:51:14,766 --> 00:51:18,742 {\an1}followed by centuries of colonial exploitation. 1002 00:51:18,766 --> 00:51:24,509 {\an1}In spite of that, the modern Maya continue to live and thrive 1003 00:51:24,533 --> 00:51:28,842 {\an1}throughout Mesoamerica. 1004 00:51:28,866 --> 00:51:31,509 {\an1}The Maya are still here, are still in Guatemala, 1005 00:51:31,533 --> 00:51:33,142 {\an1}in Mexico, in Belize, 1006 00:51:33,166 --> 00:51:35,242 {\an1}in Honduras, in El Salvador. 1007 00:51:35,266 --> 00:51:37,576 ♪ ♪ 1008 00:51:37,600 --> 00:51:39,342 Definitely, I think Maya culture is alive 1009 00:51:39,366 --> 00:51:44,633 {\an1}through Maya languages and through Maya history. 1010 00:51:45,800 --> 00:51:47,042 ESTRADA-BELLI: The Maya 1011 00:51:47,066 --> 00:51:49,076 are extremely resilient people. 1012 00:51:49,100 --> 00:51:51,909 {\an1}They were able to survive the epidemics 1013 00:51:51,933 --> 00:51:53,976 and the slaughter of the early colonial period. 1014 00:51:54,000 --> 00:51:55,876 They were able 1015 00:51:55,900 --> 00:51:58,509 {\an1}to maintain their traditions and their knowledge. 1016 00:51:58,533 --> 00:52:01,142 {\an1}It's really a success story in that sense. 1017 00:52:01,166 --> 00:52:04,933 ♪ ♪ 1018 00:52:32,866 --> 00:52:38,566 {\an8}♪ ♪ 1019 00:52:48,100 --> 00:52:52,342 {\an8}ANNOUNCER: To order this program on DVD, visit ShopPBS 1020 00:52:52,366 --> 00:52:55,376 {\an7}or call 1-800-PLAY-PBS. 1021 00:52:55,400 --> 00:52:58,176 {\an7}Episodes of "NOVA" are available with Passport. 1022 00:52:58,200 --> 00:53:01,876 {\an7}"NOVA" is also available on Amazon Prime Video. 1023 00:53:01,900 --> 00:53:07,666 {\an8}♪ ♪ 1024 00:53:14,900 --> 00:53:21,133 {\an8}♪ ♪