Discovery History's video: National Geographic Royal Maya Massacre Full Documentary Films

History Documentary hosted by Salvatore Vecchio, published by National Geographic in 2010 - English narration Royal Maya Massacre This National Geographic programme uses state-of-the-art archaeological discoveries, computer generated recreations and visits to actual locations to reconstruct the development and abrupt decline of the Mayan civilisation. Royal Maya Massacre: Sixteen skeletons, the remains of a 9th century Maya royal family, are discovered in a mass grave, revealing a sordid tale of sex, greed, rivalry and the final clues to one of the greatest mysteries of the ancient world: what caused the collapse of the Maya Empire? The royal massacre and subsequent collapses of other kingdoms suggest a bloody power struggle among rival royal families. The royal practice of taking multiple wives - once thought to create alliances among warring Maya kingdoms - actually had the opposite effect. After generations, the growing royal families produced too many princes, and in turn, too many rivalries for all to survive. Exclusive access to one of the most important finds in Maya archaeology combined with the latest in forensics, gripping recreations and advanced computer graphics presents a dramatic tale of how sex, greed and royal power struggles led to the undoing of an ancient superpower.