“Using state-of-the-art archaeological discoveries, computer generated recreations and visits to actual locations, this intriguing documentary reconstructs the development and abrupt decline of the Mayan civilisation”

Sixteen skeletons, the remains of a 9th century Maya royal family, are discovered in a mass grave, revealing a sordid tale of sex, greed, rivalry… and the final clues to one of the greatest mysteries of the ancient world: what caused the collapse of the Maya Empire?

The royal massacre and subsequent collapses of other kingdoms suggest a bloody power struggle among rival royal families.
The royal practice of taking multiple wives - once thought to create alliances among warring Maya kingdoms - actually had the opposite effect. After generations, the growing royal families produced too many princes, and in turn, too many rivalries for all to survive.

Exclusive access to one of the most important finds in Maya archaeology, combined with the latest in forensics, gripping recreations and advanced computer graphics presents a dramatic tale of how sex, greed and royal power struggles led to the undoing of an ancient superpower.

Narrated by Jay O Sanders
Produced for National Geographic Television (2006)