Epicentre of the Snake Kingdom, Calakmul was the great rival of Tikal for centuries. But when the Classic Maya Collapse arrived, even this superpower crumbled. Lucas and Luna explore Calakmul's final decades: how Yuknoom Took' K'awiil's defeat by Tikal in 695 CE began a slow unraveling, how the city tried to maintain prestige through monuments and alliances, and how drought and overpopulation turned the once-prosperous bajos into barren fields. They discuss the evidence for famine and emigration, the last dated stela from 810 CE, and the eventual abandonment around 900 CE. What can the fall of a superpower tell us about the risks of overreach, environmental strain, and inflexible governance? This episode draws on recent lidar surveys and settlement studies to paint a picture of decline that was neither sudden nor simple.
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