The Rise of the Ancient Maya
How exactly did the Maya become a dominant force in the ancient Americas?
For more than 3,000 years, the Maya built one of the Ancient world's greatest civilisations. They raised towering pyramids in the rainforest, mastered the environment and established powerful dynasties - long before the rise of the Aztecs or the Inca. Their city-states waged wars, forged alliances, and practised elaborate rituals as they competed for power across Central America.
In a special mini-series, Dan travels to the remote jungles of Belize to trace the remarkable story of the Maya: from their earliest beginnings and astonishing rise to a golden age, to the mysteries of their ninth-century collapse and final fall in the Spanish conquest.
In episode one, Dan discovers exactly how the Maya emerged to become a dominant force in the ancient Americas.
Produced by Mariana Des Forges and edited by Dougal Patmore.
All music from Epidemic Sounds/All3Media.
Dan Snow's History Hit is a History Hit podcast.
