The Maya didn’t disappear—a leading archaeologist clears up what happened
National Geographic Explorer David Stuart has been critical to unraveling the mysteries of the Maya. In our latest Ask an Expert Anything, he sheds light on the lasting impact of the Maya calendar, his own discovery that revealed chocolate’s significance, and how to try to decode hieroglyphs yourself.
ByNational Geographic Staff
Published March 16, 2026
Learn more about the Maya from Stuart’s new book, The Four Heavens. Plus, read about what it was like for Stuart to join the family archaeology business and how his father joined the deadly race to decipher the Maya hieroglyphs in the ‘70s.
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