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Facts About The Ancient Maya

Weird History | October 16, 2025



Forget the movie Apocalypto – the real Mayans of pre-Colombian America were more than stone pyramids and bloody rituals. From about 200 until the so-called “Mayan collapse” around 900 CE, the Maya people were at the height of their influence. They were one of many civilizations – like the Olmecs and the Aztecs – that animated Mesoamerica before the arrival of European colonizers.

Clustered around the Yucatán peninsula, Maya culture was layered and complex, filled with masterful artwork, political networks, and thriving cities. They even had a written language that is preserved in artwork and bark-bound codex books.

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Comments

This post currently has 39 comments.

  1. @DaraPatrickQuinn

    October 16, 2025 at 11:16 pm

    The Mayans, Aztecs, Toltecs etc. did not build those civilizations we KNOW this now. They are cargo cultures, inheriting incredible structures that had been built long before. I am not interested in savages, I want to know about the people who BUILT this stuff.

  3. @AncientArchiveFiles

    October 16, 2025 at 11:16 pm

    This video really opened my eyes to the depth and richness of the Maya civilization beyond just pyramids and rituals. The pacing is spot-on—it’s informative yet relaxed, making complex history feel friendly and engaging. Love the visuals illustrating their innovations in astronomy, agriculture, and mathematics; it all ties together so beautifully. Thanks for shedding light on lesser-known aspects of Maya culture—I learned so much and can’t wait for more! 😊

  9. @marcoperdomo283

    October 16, 2025 at 11:16 pm

    Not my fault that the Aztecs went down first took 200 more years to defeat the Mayans and yet in Guatemala their still here fn hernan that's why I got no love for the Spanish.

  14. @snair8448

    October 16, 2025 at 11:16 pm

    Hindus of India knew about the Mayas at least 2000-3000 years ago. Hindus called the land of Mayas as Siddhapura, meaning the land of the brilliant people! Conversely the conquistadors called Mayas the stupidest people! In all their arrogance & ignorance the Doanisg had no humility or curiosity to learn about Maya history or knowledge. Spanish Bishop de Landa collected all Maya books and burnt them & wrote his own version of their history!

  18. @igodjordan4364

    October 16, 2025 at 11:16 pm

    There is a Mayan calendar that say the year 2012 will be the restart of everything, in 1752 the POP change the calendars to 12 montn of 28 days to 12 month 30 days ,that accumulate until today 22.6 years so this mean we are in year 2001.2002 ,so we have less than a decade away.

  21. @shannonardo

    October 16, 2025 at 11:16 pm

    In college for a research trip, we went to Belize and stayed with Mayan host families in a town called “Golden Stream” when translated. The Lisa lady he quotes in this video is correct— there are Mayan peoples that did not leave, and entire towns of them still exist, and they speak different dialects of the Mayan languages. At that time, they were still fighting for the Belizean govt to give them those pieces of land as reservations. A modern Mayan community just like the one my host family lived in, though in a different country, is shown in the second “Black Panther” movie!! A ton of ancient Mayan culture in that movie as well!

  33. @Michaela1942

    October 16, 2025 at 11:16 pm

    While I understand that this is "Weird History," is it necessary to have weird voices when talking about different cultures/facts. Sounds like you don't have much respect for the Mayan culture and are making fun of it. I've enjoyed your site for a while but this segment isn't a good advertisement for your scholarship and makes me wonder about other segments you've done.

  38. @nateh9600

    October 16, 2025 at 11:16 pm

    There are NUMEROUS findings and publications that allude to the FACT that the Maya (and other major cultures like the Aztec), descend from the ancient Olmec. Maya art, architecture, culture, etc. is all influenced by the Olmec. Archaeological records show that the Maya borrowed numerous art and archaeology concepts from the Olmec; for instance, art depicting religion and ritual-specific themes that the Olmec practiced as well. If we look deeper, there are even statues/ carvings depicting the Maize God Theme, being in trance, and cosmological tools that were first introduced into Meso-America by the Olmec.

    If there is a huge debate in the archaeological field regarding whether or not the Maya or even Aztec descend from the Olmec, then this is surprisingly my first time coming into contact with it. I really don’t understand peoples obsession with trying to define and narrate certain cultural histories as if they have any place to speak on it at all.

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