The Rise of the Ancient Maya

Available for over a year

For more than 3,000 years, the Maya built one of the Ancient world's greatest civilisations. They raised towering pyramids in the rainforest, mastered the environment and established powerful dynasties - long before the rise of the Aztecs or the Inca. Their city-states waged wars, forged alliances, and practised elaborate rituals as they competed for power across Central America. In a special mini-series, Dan travels to the remote jungles of Belize to trace the remarkable story of the Maya: from their earliest beginnings and astonishing rise to a golden age, to the mysteries of their ninth-century collapse and final fall in the Spanish conquest. In episode one, Dan discovers exactly how the Maya emerged to become a dominant force in the ancient Americas. Produced by Mariana Des Forges and edited by Dougal Patmore. All music from Epidemic Sounds/All3Media. Dan Snow's History Hit is a History Hit podcast.