Maya civilization collapsed upon learning kings weren't gods

Agencia EFE ^ | 26 August 2006 | Staff

[Bangupjob]

Madrid, Aug 26 (EFE).- The decline of the Maya civilization began some 1,100 year ago when millions of Indians working on the contruction of tall pyramidal temples and palaces learned that their kings weren't gods, Spanish anthropologist Andres Ciudad told EFE.

The collapse of this culture with its brilliant mathematicians, astronomers and engineers, came when monarchs stopped being immortal in the eyes of their subjects, said Ciudad, who is deputy dean of the Faculty of Geography and History at Madrid's Universidad Complutense.

The inhabitants of Mayan lands, which extended through much of what is now Guatemala, El Salvador, Belize, Honduras and Mexico, at some point understood there was no sense in working themselves to death building pharaonic edifices and temples destined for the burial of kings who had no "heavenly privileges."

[Bangupjob]

I guess it'd make anyone collapse, though the Japanese seemed to take it pretty well when it happened to them.

Now, if we can just persuade the Democrats that their leaders aren't gods...

[BenLurkin]

[gaijin]

When they saw their leaders permitted the entry of legions of unwelcome, disease-bearing FOREIGNERS, I'm sure that didn't tickle them, either...

[tessalu]

What will the Muslims do when they learn that there is no sex in heaven? This will ruin all of their plans.

[FreedomPoster]

Want to make a Leftist's brain explode?

"Hey, regarding JFK, the real one - other than really kick-starting NASA and the space program - Can you tell me three big things he accomplished?"

[alice_in_bubbaland]

LOL! We can only hope!

[toddlintown]

They were G'aould.

[KarlInOhio]

[shankbear]

goo goo ga joob

[JSteff]

"at some point understood there was no sense in working themselves to death building pharaonic edifices and temples destined for the burial of kings who had no "heavenly privileges"

Which shows that as long as one can keep the unknowing masses thinking you have ab "edge" and/or can promise them something they don't think they can get on their own... you can keep the masses under your sway.

Obviously it is all marketing. Look at Hitler, look at Bin Laden, look at the Egyptian Pharaohs.

[no-to-illegals]

and all this time I thought they were Romulans or Cardasians.

[Bangupjob]

Tax cuts. And an honorable mention for all his efforts at Castro-killing.

[eeevil conservative]

1) The Bay of Pigs

2) Bumping Marilyn Monroe

3) Bumping OFF Marilyn Monroe

[shalom aleichem]

I think this is proof that there were definitely media in old Maya land. Otherwise there would be no entity strong enough to rip and shred the leaders (mores, standards, ethics, etc.) which the MSM/DBM is so good at.

[winston2]

So -

it's not so strange that some of us are irreverent about our leaders apparent lack of the leadership gene?

[driftdiver]

"What will the Muslims do when they learn that there is no sex in heaven? This will ruin all of their plans."

They'd have to make it there first. So far their plans seem to be lacking a crucial step.

[gcruse]

"...understand the need to protect the identities of the groups that now maintain that diversity.
In his opinion, not only the culture of the Mayan communities is threatened by the "new globalized world," but also their heritage and environment"

Keep 'em illiterate, impoverished, and under Hispanic rule. Yes, indeedy.

[churchillbuff]

When Bushbots finally acknowledge that Bush isn't a god -- but rather the biggest spender since LBJ (probably bigger in inflation-adjusted terms) -- would "big government conservatism" collapse?

[no-to-illegals]

nay their demon allah will provide porcupines for their loving pleasure for both sexes.

[LiteKeeper]

reread

[Bangupjob]

Reread what?

[denydenydeny]

Exactly the same thing that happened to the Incas in Peru. Jared Diamond, in Guns, Germs and Steel describes a "battle" where the Spaniards were outnumbered 40,000 to 168, but the Spaniards suddenly seized the Incan emperor at the beginning of the battle. The Incas were so terrified at this that thousands died in the trampling as they fled in fear.

Of course, Diamond drew the completely wrong conclusion from this: That the battle was won by the Spaniards' steel cutlasses and harquebusiers. Wrong. The battle was won by the Spaniards because the Incas regarded their emperor as godlike, and the Spaniards destroyed that belief.

[LiteKeeper]

I just want to mark this for reading again later. Fits into some classes I teach.

[Bangupjob]

Very nice! I liked the story too, it's kind of enlightening.

[FReepaholic]

I can tell you one: he cut taxes.

[Rightwing Conspiratr1]

Want to make a Leftist's brain explode?

"Hey, regarding JFK, the real one - other than really kick-starting NASA and the space program - Can you tell me three big things he accomplished?"

• Had Marilyn Monroe killed
• Slept with an East German spy
• Started the Vietnam War
• Screwed up the Bay of Pigs invasion

  Hmm..can't think of anything else.

[Fiddlstix]

Ping

[dr_lew]

I've always figured that human sacrifice was just too much of strain on the social fabric. BTW, moral relativists will argue that human sacrifice is no worse than, say, auto accidents, or wars. I just don't think so!

[El Conservador]

When holier-than-thous finally acknowledge that no matter how some people may try there won't be ever a "perfect conservative" - not even Ronald the Powerful - would "purist conservatism" collapse?

[nkycincinnatikid]

Perhaps if he hadn't doublecrossed the Mobsters who put him in office, he would be on Oxycontin and Viagra banging Madonna and we could all be drinking Cuba Libres in Havana .

[vladimir998]

I don't think this theory makes much sense. I read the brief article. I don't understand how an advanced civilization can collapse over 400 years because its people discovered its masters were not gods. The collapse would have been almost immediate and would have swept throughout the Mayan world in months, maybe a few years.

[Hot Tabasco]

The inhabitants of Mayan lands, which extended through much of what is now Guatemala, El Salvador, Belize, Honduras and Mexico, at some point understood there was no sense in working themselves to death building pharaonic edifices and temples destined for the burial of kings who had no "heavenly privileges."

I had the immense pleasure of being able to tour the Mayan ruins in Copan, Honduras a couple years ago and contrary to the professor's theory, the race died out due to famine caused by overpopulation and overcutting of the countryside.

The dude sounds like a wannabe newbie in the world of archaeology........

[Hot Tabasco]

When Bushbots finally acknowledge

Stick it Jack###

You are so predictibable, you'd show up on an ice cream thread if you could weasel your way into bashing Bush on it........

[thoughtomator]

If only President Bush didn't own an ice cream company, Katrina would never have happened. It's true! I saw CNN reporting on a Reuters story.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Fiddlstix.

To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list. Thanks.

Please FREEPMAIL me if you want on or off the
Gods, Graves, Glyphs PING list or GGG weekly digest
-- Archaeology/Anthropology/Ancient Cultures/Artifacts/Antiquities, etc.
Gods, Graves, Glyphs (alpha order)

[stuartcr]

How do you know this to be a fact?

[navyblue]

Had Marilyn Monroe killed Slept with an East German spy Started the Vietnam War Screwed up the Bay of Pigs invasion Hmm..can't think of anything else.

How about his excellent handling of the Cuban missile crisis? That's gotta be worth some bonus points.

[FreeReign]

...the race died out due to famine caused by overpopulation and overcutting of the countryside.

The famine was probably caused by a change in weather patterns and drought.

[Muleteam1]

This sounds a bit like some of the paranoid arguments offered by some as to why the government does not reveal that it has proof that extraterrestrials are here on Earth; it would destroy religion. Beyond any proof of the existence of aliens, there is even less proof that the government cares whether or not religion continues in our society. To these government alien-coverup arguments I have to say

This Mayan decline explanation just sounds like another scientist lacking evidence offering another mediocre theory based on a humans-are-stupid-critters explanation.

[AntiGuv]

What comes to my mind is: (1) Cuban Missile Crisis; (2) sending the national guard to confront George Wallace; (3) and the Peace Corps. So, add that in with NASA.

[BRO68]

A crisis that he created by placing the missles in Turkey and resolved by bending over, grabbing his ankles, and giving Khrushcheev everything he (Khrushchev) wanted by removing the missles from Turkey and and agreeing not to ever interfere with Castro again?

[nkycincinnatikid]

I well rememer having grade school classes in the boiler room room as JFK traded American missle bases in the middle east for a couple of cases of Cohibas.

[AntiGuv]

PS. Also, it was Kennedy's initiatives that culminated in the Civil Rights Acts under the LBJ admin; the Johnson tax reforms were also plotted out and initiated by JFK. Finally, I wouldn't call it "great" but certainly many Leftists would: It was Kennedy's "New Frontier" that morphed into Johnson's "Great Society"..

[RJL]

"Hey, regarding JFK, the real one - other than really kick-starting NASA and the space program - Can you tell me three big things he accomplished?"

He was Captain of a boat that was rammed and cut in half by an enemy ship with half the speed of his boat.

Oh, wait a minute...

[nkycincinnatikid]

Be nice now, his chaufeur was probably driving.

[BRO68]

I read somewhere, once upon a time, that Nimitz...Halsey...
one of the very senior admirals stated that if Kennedy had been under his command, he (Kennedy) would have been court martialed for that incident.

[uglybiker]

The Maya culture was already long gone by that time.

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

"Maya civilization collapsed upon learning kings weren't gods..."

Interesting. Liberalism has been going through a similar process.

[kenavi]

News was slow to get around??

[FreedomPoster]

I really should read that book, I suppose, but I've read enough about it, to know I think his assertions are B.S.

If you haven't read Carnage and Culture, by Victor Davis Hanson, I highly recommend it. His theses for why Western militaries dominate the battlefield are pretty spot-on, by my read. Blows Diamond out of the water.