Did the Ancient Maya Disappear?
According to many researchers, the big mystery about the ancient Maya is that they appear to have disappeared from their cities which have now become ruins. Some believe they left their cities and simply walked into the jungle. Others, of a more esoteric bent such as Jose Arguelles, believe the ancient Maya were extraterrestrials who returned to their starry homeland.
In the third episode “Hunters of the Caribbean Sea” of the DVD Spirits of the Jaguar: The Definitive Portrait of the Land, Wildlife and Peoples of Central America, the writers of this DVD claim that the ancient Maya decreased in population due to wars fought over territory.
They had denuded the food-rich natural lands around them to such an extent that they were immersed in territorial wars over their dwindling natural resources. They had farmed lands to depletion and had cut down jungle to where they had no more undeveloped land to expand into.
Sound familiar?
