Maya to Aztec: Ancient Mesoamerica Revealed

Surveying the geography, cultures and time span to be covered; discussing the organization of a study and its key concepts; learning and understanding important places, civilizations and events in Mesoamerica.

The Olmecs at the dawn of the Mesoamerican civilization; how the Olmecs represent one of only six cradles of early civilization in world history; how they were discovered; investigating three sites where they lived.

Delving into Olmec art; searching for clues about who the Olmecs were and what preoccupied them; the mysteries of giant sculpted heads, jaguar carvings and full-bearded figures depicting men who some think were foreigners.

Investigating other cultures that thrived in Mesoamerica at the time of the Olmecs, such as the Zapotecs in the Oaxaca Valley; probing intriguing archeological evidence that raises the question of who influenced whom.

The botany of Mesoamerica and how it benefited not just the people of the region, but eventually the entire world; the native vegetation and its impact on global diet and culture, from corn and chocolate to vanilla and chili peppers.

Tracing the origin of the Maya civilization to a dramatic change in the nature of public monuments; studying early Maya highland cities such as Izapa, with its amazing religious carvings; Kaminaljuyu and the dawn of the Classic Maya period.

The Peten rainforest in northern Guatemala, where hundreds of Maya settlements lie hidden, including some of the oldest Maya cities ever built; the discovery and excavation of El Mirador, called the cradle of Maya civilization.

An ancient Maya story of creation that was translated from a secret copy by a Spanish priest in the year 1701; the Popol Vuh according to the surviving translation, as the original has long since disappeared.

At its height around 400 AD, Teotihuacan is the most populous city in the western hemisphere; exploring this metropolis; focusing on its pyramids of the Sun and Moon; the role they play in the violent ritual life of the Classic Maya period.

Studying the power of Maya mathematics, which is a positional, base-twenty system that lends itself to calculation and the expression of very large numbers; its use of the zero placeholder; solving problems the way the Maya do.

Unlocking the secrets of the Maya calendar, which is unlike any other in the world; it has nested cycles of time keyed to human, seasonal and astronomical patterns; looking back to their year zero; the special importance of the number 1,195,640.

Charting the rise and fall of Tikal, which is one of the great Maya cities until it is mysteriously abandoned around 900 AD; overgrown by jungle, it sits forgotten for a thousand years; Tikal's tumultuous history; its dramatic rediscovery.

Maya hieroglyphs are an elaborate writing system, bearing messages that are a mystery until recent decades; Dr. Barnhart describes the detective work that goes into deciphering the script; his own studies with pioneer codebreaker Linda Schele.

Discovering that many of the Maya's buildings are oriented to view the rising and setting of celestial bodies; others are designed to interact with sunlight, creating tricks of light and shadows; what these alignments may signify.

Studying the Dresden Codex, an ancient Maya book; its complex calculations of the motions of Venus and the timing of solar eclipses; turning to its pages on divination, which defy understanding until Dr. Barnhart contributes a key insight.

Discovering the tomb of Pakal the Great, the most renowned ruler of the city of Palenque; tracing the history of Palenque, which excels in architectural sophistication, hieroglyphic inscriptions and astronomical knowledge.

The Maya's art and architecture reflect a sophisticated understanding of geometry; investigating the geometric ratios that the Maya use over and over; how these relate to nature and the practices of other ancient civilizations.

Learning about Maya life through their art; studying such works as the sarcophagus lid on the tomb of Pakal; according to a best-selling book, the lid depicts an ancient astronaut on a rocket ship; Dr. Barnhart decodes its real meaning.

Visiting Copán, a preserved city on the edge of the Maya world; this illustrious site has been continuously excavated since the 19th century; Dr. Barnhart himself does fieldwork helping to unearth tombs of the city's most notable rulers.

Maya hieroglyphs tell of a mysterious Snake Kingdom, which long eluded archaeologists; this city is Calakmul, located in the Petén rainforest of southern Mexico. Researchers are learning its long history of warfare with its militant neighbors.

Created 3,500 years ago and still played today, the Mesoamerican ball game is the New World's first organized team sport; it re-enacts mythology, symbolizes war and pleases the gods; investigating where it is played; its rules and variations.

Surveying the cultures that flourished in west Mexico at the time of the Maya, their shaft tombs, pottery and other artifacts have links to South America. The today's Voladores "flying" traditional dance originated centuries ago in this region.

Why many Maya cities are abandoned in the 9th century A.D., bringing an end to the Classic period; examining theories that trace this collapse to war, drought, environmental damage or volcanic eruption; hearing Dr. Barnhart's solution to the puzzle.

The Maya region goes through a transitional phase known as the Terminal Classic; studying the changes that emerge in new Maya cities, which see innovations in government, religion, art and architecture; focusing on the city of Uxmal.

Journeying to Oaxaca to explore Monte Alban, one of the most beautiful ruins in all of Mesoamerica; charting the city plan, monuments and art of this center of Zapotec civilization, which dominated the Valley of Oaxaca for over a thousand years.

Tomb 7 at Monte Alban contains an extraordinary number of gold artifacts; learning about the Mixtec culture that produces these treasures, along with many other impressive objects such as illustrated codices of their history and mythology.

The Great Pyramid of Cholula is one of the astonishing feats of the Veracruz civilization, which flourished in the modern state of Veracruz during the Terminal Classic period, focusing on Cholula and El Tajín, two prominent cities of this culture.

Viewing the murals at Cacaxtla in central Mexico; looking at the Temple of the Feathered Serpent in Xochicalco; like the Cacaxtla murals, it represents the influence of the vanished Teotihuacan and classic Maya cultures.

The Aztecs claim that their civilization descends from the mighty Toltecs; whether the Toltecs are as magnificent as the Aztecs believe; joining the hunt for this elusive empire, which is headquartered at the modest town of Tula.

Traveling to the ancient Maya city of Chichen Itza; focusing on its Toltec-Maya phase; the city's striking similarities to Tula; Dr. Barnhart presents a theory on what these connections imply about the history of Chichen Itza.

As Chichen Itza declines, a city named Mayapan rises to power; Mayapan copies Chichen Itza's buildings; it experiments with a more representative form of government; the architecture, social structure and daily life of this new regional capital.

Delving into Mesoamerican religion; tracing the evolution of gods and religious practices from the Olmecs to the Maya and finally to the Aztecs; learning the names, roles and origins of the principal deities.

How a vagabond group of wanderers becomes the most powerful civilization in North America; the history of the Aztecs; looking behind their self-image to discover their likely beginnings; the secret of their political, economic and military success.

Seeing Tenochtitlan through the eyes of a visitor during the height of Aztec power, when the city's quality of life is unrivaled virtually anywhere in the world; modern Mexico City, built atop Tenochtitlan, preserves isolated ruins of the grandeur.

Entering the daily life of a typical Aztec by drawing on contemporary accounts by Spanish soldiers, priests and literate Aztecs; discovering the culture's social organization, marriage customs, public festivals and rituals of human sacrifice.

By the time of European contact, the Aztec empire was the most extensive in Mesoamerican history; studying the Aztecs' methodical approach to conquest and the structure of their empire, which was more like Alexander the Great's than imperial Rome's.

The Tarascans are second only to the Aztecs in the extent of their realm. Their empire and culture compare to Aztec civilization, with conflicting clues that point to the origin of the Tarascans, who consider themselves newcomers to Mesoamerica.

On the frontier between Mesoamerica and the American Southwest stands the ruin of Paquime; Dr. Barnhart offers a hypothesis on whether Paquime is connected with the Pueblo culture to the north or with the Aztecs and Tarascans to the south.

Touring some of the masterpieces of Aztec art, including the Calendar Stone and Stone of Tizoc; beholding the Statue of Coatlicue; poring over the Codex Mendoza, which is a beautifully illustrated history of the Aztec nation.

Archeologists call the last phase of pre-Columbian culture before the arrival of the Spanish the Late Post-Classic period; getting a snapshot of this waning era by visiting the ruins of Tulum, a Maya seaport that hints at a final Aztec incursion.

Reviewing the events that bring an expedition led by Christopher Columbus to the New World; tracing Columbus's later contact with Mesoamerica; following the arrival of Spanish conquistadors, including Vasco Núñez de Balboa and Hernán Cortés.

Hernán Cortés's defeat of the Aztec empire is one of the greatest military victories in history; how the conquistador manages this coup with just a few hundred Spanish troops, aided by native allies and a secret weapon he does not know he has.

The Spanish turned their eyes to the rest of Mesoamerica; following the decades of military campaigns needed to subdue the Maya. This conquest included the wholesale destruction of Maya books and ritual objects by the Franciscan monk Diego de Landa.

Studying the fortunes of the Itza, the last independent Maya kingdom; isolated between two Spanish-dominated areas, the Itza defend their domain for almost two centuries after the initial Spanish contact; the stratagem that vanquishes them in 1697.

Tracing the resistance of the Maya to foreign domination, culminating in the Caste Wars of Yucatán; this pits native Maya people against the Mexican army; it lasts for over half a century; although Mexico prevails, the resistance continues.

Exploring the many areas where native culture still survives in modern Mexico; focusing on the Zapotec, Huichol and Nahua peoples; learning that traditions that have survived for thousands of years are now threatened by various technologies.

Despite centuries of assimilation and persecution, Maya culture still thrives; investigating its survival in Guatemala, where 80 percent of the population is Maya; Dr. Barnhart describes his own observations from extensive visits to the country.

Exploring the current frontiers of Mesoamerican archeology; the most promising avenues for future research; many major cities are yet to be excavated or discovered; Dr. Barnhart closes by discussing the top three projects on his wish list.