“The Maya established one of the most highly developed civilisations of their time in the jungles of Mexico and Central America”

Who were the Mayans? The answer depends on who you ask. Legend has it that the gods made them from corn.

Take an hour-long tour of Lost Kingdoms of the Maya with host Susan Sarandon, however, and you’ll see a culture that defies any handy categorisation.

Composed of a web of several hundred Central American kingdoms at the height of its powers, the Mayan empire was a cosmopolitan centre of art and science that also had a taste for battle. So what exactly happened to make the Paris of its time suddenly vanish?

Puzzle along with archaeologists and epigraphers as they try to piece history back together, one building and astrological codice at a time.

Don’t expect any pat answers, however. While a few educated guesses endure (overpopulation, deforestation, or an out-of-control thirst for war?), the true reason for the Mayan fate might be best summarized in the true if not elegant words of one Mayan expert: “Civilization is a complex phenomenon, and we can screw up.”

Synopsis:
Long before Columbus, the Maya established one of the most highly developed civilisations of their time in the jungles of Mexico and Central America. Yet this advanced society of priests, astronomers, artisans, and farmers suddenly and mysteriously collapsed more than a thousand years ago.
Accompany archaeologists to Copan, Dos Pilas, and other spectacular Classic Maya ruins as they unearth artefacts and huge temples of incredible beauty.

Recently deciphered hieroglyphics and other new discoveries offer astounding clues to the lives of these ancient people:

• hear the startling story of one kingdom’s downfall and its final desperate hours of violent warfare
• witness ancient rituals re-enacted on sites where they originally occurred through spine-tingling recreations
• meet the enduring Maya who still maintain many of their ancestors’ traditions.

You’ll hear the voices of a magnificent civilisation as you uncover Lost Kingdoms Of The Maya in the National Geographic ‘Forgotten Kingdom’ series.

Narrated by Susan Sarandon, produced for the National Geographic Society.

EXCLUSIVE:  This DVD also contains ‘Lost City of the Maya‘, an exclusive, 18 mins long bonus film about the ancient pyramids and cities in the Guatemalan jungle, produced by National Geographic.