Ancient Aliens: The Great Mayan Disappearance (Season 9) | History
HISTORY・2 minutes read
Tikal National Park in Guatemala houses the ruins of the largest classic Maya city, with scholars estimating their population to peak at 20 million before the mysterious collapse where up to 95% of the Maya vanished, leaving no clear reason for their disappearance. The Maya's Long Count calendar, spanning 5,125 years and featuring 13 baktuns of 400 years each, has sparked speculation about its connection to the Maya's disappearance and the Pleiades constellation.
Insights
- **Mysterious Decline:** Despite the classic Maya civilization's peak population reaching around 20 million, up to 95% of the Maya vanished without a clear explanation after their collapse, leaving scholars puzzled about their disappearance.
- **Calendar Speculation:** The classic Maya's Long Count calendar, spanning 5,125 years and linked to the Pleiades constellation, raised questions due to the lack of celebration during the 10th baktun, suggesting a potential connection between their calendar system and the civilization's enigmatic decline.
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Recent questions
What is Tikal National Park known for?
Ruins of largest classic Maya city.
How many people were in the classic Maya population at its peak?
Around 20 million.
What is the Long Count calendar used by the Maya?
To count down 5,125 years.
What percentage of the Maya population was unaccounted for after their collapse?
Up to 95%.
What is the potential connection between the Maya calendar and the Pleiades constellation?
Speculation about calendar's role in disappearance.
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Summary
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Mystery of Maya Collapse and Long Count
- Tikal National Park in Guatemala holds the ruins of one of the largest cities of the classic Maya, with Tikal being the largest city of the period and the last to be abandoned.
- Scholars estimate the classic Maya population at its peak to be around 20 million, but after their collapse, up to 95% of the Maya were unaccounted for, with no clear reason for their disappearance.
- The Maya created the Long Count calendar to count down 5,125 years, divided into 13 baktuns of 400 years each, with the 10th baktun not celebrated as expected, leading to speculation about the calendar's role in their disappearance and potential connection to the Pleiades constellation.
