The Fall of the Ancient Maya

Dan Snow travels to the jungles of Belize to explore the 9th-century Maya Collapse. He visits ancient cities like Caracol and Lamanai to investigate the role of warfare, climate crisis, and Spanish conquest in the civilisation's downfall. The episode also follows archaeologist Dr Rafael Guerra into a cave system where the Maya turned to human sacrifice in a desperate attempt to appease forces beyond their control, leading to an astonishing discovery. The story extends to Maya resistance against Spanish colonisation.