Dr. James Fitzsimmons

Um, and it's actually in the book too.

Mm.

Um,

is Teotihuacan, it's almost an imperial power.

It goes around and it basically starts stomping other parts of Mesoamerica and invading other places.

If it's not invading with military, it's certainly meddling in the affairs of other places.

And so Teotihuacan, at one point, there's some folks from Teotihuacan that make their way into the Maya area and take over parts of the Maya area.

Actually, just like flat out, like take over.

And they set up shop there.

They install Teotihuacan, person Teotihuacan.

That person marries a Maya woman and they start dynasties.

And so that's kind of how a lot of the Maya dynasties sort of start.

A lot of the later Maya dynasties start.

They start that way, right?

And so as that first kind of empire kind of thing, at least in Mesoamerica, I think they make a lot of enemies.

I think that they are overstretched.

We don't know how Teotihuacan specifically falls, but the end is not good.

Like they burn, like somebody burns, like they burn a good chunk of the city center.

It kind of falls apart.

And so all the usual suspects, when we talk about collapse,