Fleet

Yes scientific stuff. They knew where the sun rose and set on every day of the solar year. They understood the mechanics of the lunar/solar calendar. They were accomplished astronomers.

They were also accomplished agriculturalists. Too successful in fact. Their society grew too big and fast, and it ate up their available local resources faster than it could be replenished.

The same with the Mayan collapse. Too successful for their own good. Growth too big, too fast... It's been a problem the world over since the neolithic.

Local environmental/ecological conditions in mesoamerica exacerbated the problem, leading to widespread cannibalism. This was most likely the reason for the ritual killings. For cannibalism, food... Necessity, not religion.

I'm an archaeologist/evolutionary biologist.

Where are you coming at this from?