Chapter 9 Summary and Analysis

Chapter 9 - The ancient culture of the Mayans is examined. Von Däniken first notes that, like other cultures, the Mayan astronomical calendar was frighteningly accurate. Related to this, Mayans built steps to their temples in increments (such as one step every 52 years), to adhere to realities of their calendar. More intriguing is the great abandonment of the Mayan cities in 600 A.D., a mysterious event that left Mayan cities and temples completely empty and suddenly uninhabited. There are no signs of violence or of an outside culture forcibly taking over. Moreover, if there was some sort of revolution, one would expect at least some portion of the population to remain. Nothing seems to explain this event.

Von Däniken, invoking his hypothesis of the astronaut gods, suggests that the Mayans were told of a "second coming" by the astronauts with...