The rise and fall of the Maya Empire’s most powerful city - Geoffrey E. Braswell
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During the 8th century CE, warfare and failing agriculture forced Maya people to move north, to hotter, drier Yucatán. Because of its freshwater access, Chichen Itza became the most powerful Maya city, with nearly 50,000 citizens at its height. But the region presented its own challenges and the city's golden age wouldn’t last forever. Geoffrey E. Braswell traces the city's rise and fall.
Additional Resources for you to Explore
Would you like to learn more about the ancient Maya in general? Here is a good site to begin your search! A lot of basic questions—the how, what, where, and when—of the Maya is answered here. The writing system of the Maya was the most complicated and visually evocative in the New World, and here is how modern scholars learned to read the hieroglyphs. The British Museum has a marvelous site dedicated to the history of exploration, modern digital technology, and how the modern Maya preserve the culture. This nifty online computer program teaches you how the Maya calendars work. Finally, learn more about water and the decline of Classic Maya civilization.
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Meet The Creators
- Educator Geoffrey E. Braswell
- Director Hernando Bahamon, Globizco
- Narrator Adrian Dannatt
- Composer Manuel Borda
- Sound Designer Manuel Borda
- Director of Production Gerta Xhelo
- Produced by Abdallah Ewis
- Editorial Director Alex Rosenthal
- Editorial Producer Cella Wright
- Script Editor Stephanie Honchell Smith
- Fact-Checker Charles Wallace
