Loving your Mesoamerican videos! One thing that I feel obligated to point out because I've seen it mentioned a few times, is that recent archaeology and LIDAR scans, shows that the Maya cities were fully urban areas with large and dense populations. As one example, Tikal is estimated to have had a population of around 40,000-50,000 people and there are estimates that actually go even higher than that. The notion that they were empty ceremonial centers was certainly in vogue for most of the 20th century but we now know that that was not the case. Really enjoying your content and I can't wait to see more!
I think the difference he was pointing out is that Teotihuacan was a city by density, and use. The ceremonial downtown was immediately surrounded by high density suburbs on a grid layout, that even included apartment buildings, neighborhoods, shops, etc. In the Maya world lidar has shown that the ceremonial centers were surrounded by many people, but much more dispersed, with large scale agricultural land and family gardens, and they rarely visited the ceremonial centers. At least that's my understanding.
"Blood was pooled and the skulls of the people of the central place of Tikal were piled up" That's awesome? There is a reoccurring theme, among historians of the Mayan Civilization, that consistently attempt to "beautify" the evil and sadistic nature that is depicted in their art. Which I have no doubt, was ritualistically impersonated, right down to the last horrifying detail. I'd imagine that actually being there and witnessing this "awesome" display would generate a different response...
![I.N "HALLUCINATION" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/n5B5q1Hwt_U/mqdefault.jpg)
Loving your Mesoamerican videos! One thing that I feel obligated to point out because I've seen it mentioned a few times, is that recent archaeology and LIDAR scans, shows that the Maya cities were fully urban areas with large and dense populations. As one example, Tikal is estimated to have had a population of around 40,000-50,000 people and there are estimates that actually go even higher than that. The notion that they were empty ceremonial centers was certainly in vogue for most of the 20th century but we now know that that was not the case. Really enjoying your content and I can't wait to see more!
I think the difference he was pointing out is that Teotihuacan was a city by density, and use. The ceremonial downtown was immediately surrounded by high density suburbs on a grid layout, that even included apartment buildings, neighborhoods, shops, etc. In the Maya world lidar has shown that the ceremonial centers were surrounded by many people, but much more dispersed, with large scale agricultural land and family gardens, and they rarely visited the ceremonial centers. At least that's my understanding.
"Blood was pooled and the skulls of the people of the central place of Tikal were piled up"
That's awesome? There is a reoccurring theme, among historians of the Mayan Civilization, that consistently attempt to "beautify" the evil and sadistic nature that is depicted in their art. Which I have no doubt, was ritualistically impersonated, right down to the last horrifying detail. I'd imagine that actually being there and witnessing this "awesome" display would generate a different response...
***yoo-cuh-tan