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The Mayan civilization was described as an advanced culture with a developed written language (The Mayans were actually the first to have a written language in the Americas), and an advanced awareness of the astronomical system, the arts and mathematics. They were a civilized culture, as history books so depict.

Yet, as historian Giles Healy would also reveal, in his study of the Mayan temples, this was a civilization that were actually savages, which is a totally different description of how Mayans were earlier known for.

The Mayans engaged in blood letting rituals of their royals. This was part of their belief system, in that the rituals seemed to help their crops grow or please their gods. They also believed that their king’s blood was the most potent of all. The practice was deemed barbaric and primitive by many scholars, which makes their study of the Mayans even more curious.

What other mysteries do we still have to learn about this civilization? Was this ritual also part of the reason why they have slowly disappeared?

This presentation examines the rituals the Mayan practice and uncovers other aspects of this civilization that we may not have heard of before.

You may be interested in:

1. 

   Dawn of the Maya
2. 

   Cracking the Maya Code
3. 

   NOVA: Lost King of the Maya (or: headless soccer)
4. 

   Kings of Pastry