Drift off to the complete history of the ancient Maya — one of the most sophisticated civilizations of the pre-Columbian Americas. The Maya built towering temples, developed one of the world's only independently invented writing systems, tracked astronomical cycles with astonishing precision, and then saw their classic cities collapse in one of history's great mysteries.

Covered: Origins and Pre-Classic period, the Classic Maya cities (Tikal, Palenque, Copan, Chichen Itza), Maya mathematics and the calendar, the Long Count and 2012 myth, the Classic Collapse, the Post-Classic period, Spanish conquest, and the living Maya today.

✦ 2+ hours ✦ Calm narration ✦ Mesoamerican history for sleep

Sleepless History is an educational sleep podcast covering ancient civilizations, lost cultures, and world history — made to help you fall asleep.