Life in the Classic Maya Period: Majesty and Beauty

The Maya Classic period is widely considered the golden age of the ancient Maya and saw incredible achievements in art, architecture and science. Let’s explore what made this time period so brilliant and why the classic period continues to fascinate the scholars and public today.

Intro: 0:01
Disclaimers: 1:22
Political Introduction: 3:28
City Organization: 5:03
Maya Kings and Queens: 8:12
Maya Warfare: 11:16
Life for Maya Commoners: 14:58
Maya Religion: 18:48
Maya Art: 22:32
Maya Science: 32:13
Water Management Technology: 34:58
Maya Architecture: 38:23

[TheMrBrosef]

I almost started crying when you said there are only 4 Codices left out of thousands. It's so tragic to think of the wealth of culture and history that was destroyed forever.

[sarahwatts]

I always love videos about the Maya that don't include aliens. UFOlogy is such an efficient way to disrespect any and all ancient civilizations

[Michigander]

As a Michigander with Ojibwa heritage and an amateur history buff, I absolutely love the content you make! Thanks for all your hard work keeping this history alive.

[daviddeltoro]

YES! As a K'iche' Maya myself you have no idea how stoked I am to have your amazing analysis videos display our culture and history better than i ever could. I know we have a long way to go, but when you inevitably get to the post classic period and start covering important periods in Maya history like the second half of the Popol Wuj, the complexities of highland Maya literature like the Rabinal Achij and the rich histories of the many highland titulos (One of which, the Titulo K'oyoi, was written by the very Maya lineage I am descended from) or the glory and rich history and conquests of the mighty kingdom of Q'umarkaaj, hit me up! I will do narration for free lol. I can point you to many rich and invaluable resources that lay out the history of K'iche' in incredible detail. I've debated making a video myself but i don't have the guts to do what you do. Maltyox!

[doolittle]

Every video feels more detailed than the last, can't wait for the sequel about classic Maya political drama!

[thunder.perfectmind]

As always, you focus on the really good stuff: ceramic techniques and water/land management, how people actually lived. Wish there was more channels like this for Ancient Mesopotamia or East Asia, not just "who killed who in what battle".

[Pharry_]

I love this channel. So many people who say they're "into history" are only into europe. I got bored of europe the moment I learned that china had semi automatic crossbows. Precolumbian America is one of my favorite topics and it never gets the attention it deserves, so I'm really glad this channel exists!

[IndigenousHistoryNow]

I never cease to be amazed at the brilliance of Indigenous American environmental management. Recreating healthy wetlands for urban water supply, genius!

[SkunkApe]

Another fantastically researched and produced video. Thank you for spotlighting Pre-Columbian American history. These cultures were vibrant, rich, and far more advanced than we have been led to believe in textbooks. They deserve to be studied and celebrated in all their splendor.

[ericgajdostik]

Thanks for the video. The part about Maya water management was incredible. It reminded me of when i was a kid I had the incredible opportunity to visit Copan. This was a couple years after Hurrricane Mitch, which wrecked the Central American region in 1998. Our tour guide told us that while the rest of the country was devastated, the Copan site was practically unharmed, because the ancient Maya had engineered such an effective drainage system.

[juliajs]

Your channel is nearly the last one doing documentaries without over-the-top dramatic scripts or questionable "finds" that are interpreted as it fits the narrative. Thank you!

[modularsamples]

This has quickly become one of my favourite channels on any topic, every video is a gem. I even love the disclaimers.

[atlasaltera]

Such a great video, once again! The astronomical expertise is impressive, but the innovative use of zeolites in water management was a surprise to me! Also, the hydraulic methods remind me of the johads of Rajasthan.

[littlesnowflakepunk]

you're one of my absolute favorite channels on here. your research and storytelling is always immaculate

[tiltiktekwani]

You have no idea, how excited I become when seeing your videos. I think part of the reason is that we have all this very comprehensive narratives of other cultures, such as the egyptian, greco-roman, iranian, chinese, but mesoamerican are sometimes relegated as just some pyramids, archeological sites and that's it.

These explorations of the maya really give a breath of reality to all thw history. Touches themes which are rarely talked when mayas are involved, like intricacies of engineering, palaces.

It even brought out more questions, like how were the mathematics for the maya, were they abstract and numerical, similar to how people think of it today, or were they geometric?

Again, thanks for the work :)

[michaireneuszjakubowski]

I must say, your videos are a sight for sore eyes. The topic is criminally underreported outside the academia.

And as always, you did a splendid job covering the topic so that laymen such as me can appreciate it.

[huascar]

I cannot put into words how much I treasure these documentary videos of The Americas before the Europeans invaded and occupied both continents. The Maya fascinate me and I have learned so very much from these videos. I recently found a book in a second hand store titled "Reading The Maya Glyphs". Absolutely fascinating!

[sefghimassi]

Excellent point regarding the fact that warfare in Mayan culture was generally a limited affair, much more so than in the West. Thanks for the fine content, and the details.

[GregSamsa]

Hey man, I absolutely love your videos. Growing up I had the privilege of living in Mexico City not too far away from the National Museum of Archeology and as a nerdy kid who loved history it quickly became one of my happy places and I would constantly ask my parents to take me there. Your videos bring back that childhood excitement from learning about ancient Mesoamerica.

I recently travelled to South America and became fascinated by the History of the people of the Patagonia, would you ever consider doing a video covering that topic? I would love to watch a video of yours talking about the Kaweskar, Selk'nam, Yahgan and Aonikenk

[RandomBoy]

Hello, I am an aspiring archaeologist and let me tell you that your work is brilliant, you cover several parts very well, let me tell you that sadly today most people know so little about their past that they do not even think that the beautiful Mayan temples were ever Once they were painted, since I was little I loved the sensation of archeology, like a great nostalgic void of the people who once lived, greetings from Chiapas, Mexico. (sorry for the grammar mistakes i used google translate).