Sixteen skeletons - the remains of a 9th century Mayan 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? Who were these people? What tragic and violent plot sent them to the bottom of a centuries-old cistern? Was it disease? Starvation? Or murder? A crack team of experts from Guatemala's Forensic Anthropology Foundation is hot on the trail. The royal massacre and subsequent collapse of other kingdoms suggest something even more insidious: a bloody power struggle among rival royal families. Exclusive access to one of the most important finds in Maya archaeology combines with the latest in forensics, gripping recreations and advanced computer graphics to present a dramatic tale of how sex, greed and royal power struggles led to the undoing of an ancient superpower.

Starring:

Genre:

Documentary