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In Search of the Lost Empire of the Maya
National Geographic ^ | Erik Vance Photographs by David Coventry

Posted on 08/13/2016 6:43:09 PM PDT by MtnClimber

The ambitious Snake kings used force and diplomacy to create the most powerful alliance in their culture’s history.

The ancient city of Holmul isn’t much to look at. To the casual observer it’s just a series of steep, forested hills in the middle of the jungle in northern Guatemala, near the Mexican border. The jungle here in the Petén Basin is thick and warm but drier than you might expect. And silent, except for the drum of cicadas and the occasional calls of howler monkeys.

Take a closer look, and you may notice that most of these hills are arranged in massive rings, like travelers huddled around a fire on a cold night. An even closer look reveals that parts of the hills are made of cut stone, and some have tunnels carved into their sides. In fact they’re not hills at all but ancient pyramids, left to decay after the collapse of the Maya civilization a millennium ago.

The site was a thriving settlement during the Classic Maya period (A.D. 250-900), a time when writing and culture flourished throughout what is today Central America and southern Mexico. But it also was a time of political upheaval: Two warring city-states were locked in perennial conflict, grappling for supremacy. For a brief period one of those city-states prevailed and became the closest thing to an empire in Maya history. It was ruled by the Snake kings of the Kaanul dynasty, which until just a few decades ago no one even knew existed. Thanks to sites around this city-state, including Holmul, archaeologists are now piecing together the story of the Snake kings.

(Excerpt) Read more at nationalgeographic.com ...


TOPICS: History
KEYWORDS: guatemala; maya; mayans
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1 posted on 08/13/2016 6:43:09 PM PDT by MtnClimber
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To: MtnClimber

Interesting photographs at link


2 posted on 08/13/2016 6:43:44 PM PDT by MtnClimber (For photos of Colorado scenery and wildlife, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: MtnClimber

The cavernous limestone water reservoirs beneath the Mayan Pyramids tells the story of how they thrived in an area with no rivers nearby. Once these were found then much of the Mayan history made more sense.


3 posted on 08/13/2016 6:46:17 PM PDT by vetvetdoug
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To: MtnClimber

4 posted on 08/13/2016 6:51:14 PM PDT by Donglalinger
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To: All

I visited Chichen Itza a few years back...The Mayans were incredible mathematicians. And also blood thirsty for sacrifices and games...


5 posted on 08/13/2016 6:56:10 PM PDT by JBW1949 (I'm really PC....PATRIOTICALLY CORRECT!!!!)
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To: MtnClimber

amazing. and all without metal.


6 posted on 08/13/2016 6:56:26 PM PDT by beebuster2000
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To: SunkenCiv

Thought you might like photos at link. The 3-D viewer is really nice.


7 posted on 08/13/2016 6:56:59 PM PDT by MtnClimber (For photos of Colorado scenery and wildlife, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: MtnClimber
A national geographic show claimed that their fall came because of a two-year drought, NOT A DROP OF RAIN. They had a complicated system of cisterns that collected water and those cisterns were their only source of water but THOSE cisterns were used up and NOT replaced by any rain for two solid years.

The locals either died of thirst or left the area.

8 posted on 08/13/2016 6:58:42 PM PDT by cloudmountain
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To: JBW1949
I visited Chichen Itza a few years back...The Mayans were incredible mathematicians. And also blood thirsty for sacrifices and games...

Their lust for blood couldn't do much against gun-power so, in the end, they would have been doomed no matter what.

Did you ever see that movie APOCALYPTO? It was about just those folks over there. No English, all subtitles in their native language.
Great movie.

MEL GIBSON, of all people, produced and directed it.

9 posted on 08/13/2016 7:02:28 PM PDT by cloudmountain
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To: cloudmountain

I didn’t...I’ll place it on my list...Thanks...


10 posted on 08/13/2016 7:04:54 PM PDT by JBW1949 (I'm really PC....PATRIOTICALLY CORRECT!!!!)
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To: cloudmountain

Climate change sure has been around a long time.


11 posted on 08/13/2016 7:05:51 PM PDT by disndat
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To: cloudmountain

The great pyramid at Chichen Itza has a wall going down the steps to the top and has a snake head at the bottom...

On the equinox, the sun casts a shadow of the corners of the pyramid along that wall and forms perfect diamonds along the wall depicting a rattlesnake’s markings...Only happens on that day that it is perfectly aligned...

Remarkable...


12 posted on 08/13/2016 7:08:22 PM PDT by JBW1949 (I'm really PC....PATRIOTICALLY CORRECT!!!!)
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To: MtnClimber

Those are very interesting figurines. Thanks for the post.


13 posted on 08/13/2016 7:14:19 PM PDT by disndat
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To: JBW1949

I wonder what the math folk thought about the sacrifices.


14 posted on 08/13/2016 7:20:34 PM PDT by dp0622 (The only thing an upper crust conservative hates more than a liberal is a middle class conservative)
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To: JBW1949

15 posted on 08/13/2016 7:22:29 PM PDT by combat_boots (MSM: We lie to you sheep at the slaughterhouse to keep you calm during slaughter)
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To: MtnClimber

And let’s not forget the Maya’s greatest contribution.....mayanaise.

Without them, no potato salad and then what would you eat with barbecued chicken? Rice? Forget it!


16 posted on 08/13/2016 7:22:33 PM PDT by blueunicorn6 ("A crack shot and a good dancer")
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To: dp0622

They were the high priests overseeing the sacrifices.


17 posted on 08/13/2016 7:23:35 PM PDT by disndat
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To: combat_boots
Win or die:
18 posted on 08/13/2016 7:24:29 PM PDT by combat_boots (MSM: We lie to you sheep at the slaughterhouse to keep you calm during slaughter)
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To: dp0622

I don’t know...

The grotto where they tossed the young tied up virgins has water so blue it hurts your eyes...


19 posted on 08/13/2016 7:25:41 PM PDT by JBW1949 (I'm really PC....PATRIOTICALLY CORRECT!!!!)
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To: disndat

Makes sense /s

Well, the Germans were brilliant but sadistic also, during WWII.

I guess the two are not mutually exclusive.

I believe the nazis also had a big thing for the occult.

odd.


20 posted on 08/13/2016 7:26:04 PM PDT by dp0622 (The only thing an upper crust conservative hates more than a liberal is a middle class conservative)
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