After millennia of development, the Maya culture suddenly collapsed at its peak. Why is one of the biggest mysteries of history. One theory says catastrophic climate change was the cause. And it may have happened to other cultures too.
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# Summary
Join Josh and Chuck as they explore the fascinating rise and mysterious collapse of the ancient Maya civilization, uncovering how a thriving culture of up to 70,000 people per city suddenly abandoned their great cities and returned to simple farming. The episode digs into multiple theories—from warfare and disease to overpopulation—but focuses especially on the compelling role climate change may have played, showing how a severe drought combined with deforestation fundamentally destabilized Maya society, and how this pattern of climate-driven collapse might illuminate the falls of other civilizations throughout history and offer troubling lessons for our own future.
Breaking the Maya Code
2008
1h 56m
★ 6.5
"there's a really, really good documentary called Cracking the Maya Code on, I think it was a Nova episode — Josh recommends a Nova documentary about deciphering Maya hieroglyphics, describing it as thrilling."
— Josh
"Hey Dude the 90s called, David Lasher and Christine Taylor, stars of the cult classic show — Referenced as a cult classic TV show that's the basis for a nostalgia podcast about the 1990s."
Mad Max
1979
1h 31m
★ 6.7
"a lot of times it's like a return to the earth and small villages of people farming. That's exactly what happened to the Maya. They moved out into farms. The farm, the farm hinterlands where they just continued on like nothing happened. But the people in the cities were like, well, we're Mad Max now. — Josh uses Mad Max as a reference to describe dystopian scenarios where people revert to post-apocalyptic living conditions."
— Josh
"The Darkness Permission to Land is to 80s hair metal throwback — Chuck uses The Darkness' album as a comparison for 80s hair metal throwback style, similar to a 70s funk band reference."
— Chuck
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