Ancient Metropolis: The True Scale Of Mayan Cities | Treasure Tombs of the Ancient Maya | Odyssey

Hidden by dense undergrowth, the true size of ancient Mayan cities has been poorly understood up until now. Join a group of scientists and archaeologists at the cutting edge of the field as they reveal the true size of these ancient mega-cities.

Odyssey is your journey into the world of Ancient History; from the dawn of Mesopotamia to the fall of Rome. We'll be bringing you only the best documentaries that journey into the mysteries and ruins of worlds long lost.

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[reyjes]

Mayan people are still alive and the Mayan language is spoken throughout the region. It's more percise to say, "what happened to the ancient Mayan cities and social structures?", instead of making it seem like all Mayan people completely disappeared.

[sheilatruax]

In the late 60s, my mom subscribed to a monthly "magazine" for teenagers. One was on Egypt, one on the Aztecs, the Incas, the Maya. They came with stickers to place on designated places. I was disappointed that the writing hadn't been solved. Then I heard that something, very much like the Rosetta Stone, had been found. All of this is so cool!

[RLU-wtvi]

Very interested in learning the results of the Japanese team using their 'Muan' technology. I had heard of it before when the scientist who created it used it on a volcano, in Japan, to learn the trail of lava and the size of the lava chamber. I believe it could be advantageous to utilize this technique on the emperor's mound in China. Excellent video.

[Sam]

Yo this video is premium. Thank you. I've heard of this site before, and this video not only updated me on whats happening there now today, but you also helped me understand the history more and piece it all together. Also, your editing is REALLY F***ING GOOD. Keep doing that, where you add sourced photos and live map updates. That's what elevates this video to premium status.

[christiano]

Good to learn about ancient civilizations. The Mayas were great builders. Unbelievable to learn there are so many advanced civilizations around the world who built enormous and beautiful buildings from Borobudur to the pyramids of Egypt and Africa to the Indian temples and the structures found in China. To much to mention. Great.

[souloukex]

We just returned from the Yucatan Mexico back to Greece. 13 days 8 cities, countless villages, 5 archaeological sites. An incredible trip

[ShahaaS]

My Mayan Ancestors Deserve The Truth Of Their Achievements World Wide Taught In Schools All Across America!

[nihonb]

Thank you for very informative documentary video. I love the way how it is edited. What happened to the Japanese findings?

[sabrinajanz]

The content is always so well thought out and executed. Great job!

[courtneymckissick]

I love their culture. They were extremely advanced and far from "savage". They went through the same processes as many cultures in Asia, Africa and Europe. Europe wasn't much more advanced when they found the Mayan, Aztec and Inca. Yes, they had human sacrifice but so did Europeans before they became "civilized". I put civilized in quotations because I don't see people who had slaves and waged war over greed and hatred as civilized. They were savages, whether they believed it or not. And I can hear it now: "but the Indigenous peoples also did this". Yes, they did, but that just proves that Europeans weren't better than any of those around them even if they were ignorant enough to think so.
The people of the Americas weren't around the cultures across the sea. The people in Asia and Europe had each other to help advance and they partially advanced together. But you cannot say that Europeans were the only advanced ones and they helped everyone. Far from it. Europeans benefited from much knowledge from Asia, Africa, and the Indigenous peoples of the Americas and other continents. Also, Europe didn't help much. Many Asian cultures advanced farther than Europeans without any assistance from Europeans. Many African cultures and American cultures were far more advanced in many things as well.

[coppermoontravels]

Thank you for this wonderful documentary. I am so fortunate to work in this part of the world and feel so grateful for how many of these cities I have visited. LIDAR is going to show us so much more!

[worldadventuretravel]

What stands out most in this series is that not one single Mayan was consulted in this entire two year excavation. The Mayans are not all gone. Mayan is still a spoken language in parts of Mexico and central America. I traveled with a Mayan shaman to all of the sites in the Yucatan peninsula and listened to his teachings, passed down to him for generations. He had a lot to say about the western interpretation of their culture. Most of these interpretations, he said, are wrong. You'd think archaeology would have decolonized itself by now.

[svetlanasorokina-wilson-oulq]

I have mixed feelings about the documentary. In some parts, it feels too superficial. The part which I found the least impressive is about deciphering the Maya’s writing sign system. The break through was done by not a group of scholars but a Soviet scientist from Saint Petersburg, Yuri Knorozov. I could guess why his name was not mentioned but it diminishes scientific value of this documentary even more.

[Ryan-eukp]

Oh baaby this is going to be a good one. The Mayans are my favourite civilisation, awesome.

[jarkokuklovsky]

Pakal's jade mask from 216 pieces with T-tav symbol in the mouth= pure ASTRONOMY!

[anotheralvarado]

The thing with the Mayan and Guatemalan people… they need no one else to survive and thrive.they are a completely self reliant people. I know, my husband is of the culture and kiche people, the prevalent Mayan civilization in his area, thriving still, today.

[YerZero]

This is brilliant, glued to the screen the whole time

[_historicaldestinations]

Thank you for the perfect documentary, really enjoyed it :)

[AgricultureTechUS]

Where is part 2? I can't wait to see more

[EricM-gmwz]

How were the Mayans cutting stone? Being Mexican American, I love this Mesoamérica archeology stuff. Have to revisit the subject every few weeks lol.