Part 3/20:
The Maya's towering temples and complex calendrical systems were intertwined with their religious worldview which centered on appeasing gods believed to control the weather. When prayers and sacrifices failed to invoke rain—despite growing larger and more desperate—the society’s rulers and priests grew increasingly nihilistic, recognizing that the gods’ favor seemed irrecoverable. This spiritual despair reflected a civilization in decline, haunted by the realization that their once-thriving world was ending. Their predictions foretold their collapse, recognizing it as an inevitable cosmic event predestined by their own calendar and understanding of celestial cycles.