where did these people come from? we should be able to trace the archaeology, but it largely appears out of nowhere. the sources we have are beyond terrible, to the point that they come off more as myths designed to uphold the conquest than anything else. if ever there was a place where archaeology was important, it's central america. but, it really does just pop up - like it came from somewhere else.
and, a commonality in the civilizations of these regions is that they tend to disappear, too - something that is true as far north as st. louis. there are good theories about cities being built and abandoned to the rains, to the tornadoes, to hurricanes, to earthquakes, to fires - this continent is horribly unstable. so, if people tend to disappear then it provides some guidance as to why they tend to mysteriously appear, as well. but, this idea of parallel or convergent evolution has truly never sat very well with me.
it's for that reason that it would be nice to have some histories, but even the story of what happened to the history seems whitewashed, itself. we see this in the norse sagas, too - these christianized histories that are really designed to co-opt the culture and put the church at the centre of it. the video points this out, but it doesn't put the emphasis on it that it really needs to have on it. so, the story is that these people used to have histories until a few years ago, when they burnt it themselves, because the rulers didn't want the history leading the people astray. i see. "it's not my fault, it was like that when i got here.".
what remains is essentially a story.
and, that story is probably almost entirely mythical.
archaeology in this region is difficult because the jungle reclaims everything very quickly. but, it's the correct approach, as difficult as it is. while the video is actually unusually interdisciplinary, and i actually respect that, it's a mythology more than it is a history - and a real history would be focused more on what the archaeology tells us and doesn't.
but, i mean, the details are lost, whoever or whatever is responsible for it. if you want a story, this is the best one we've got.
....until we invent time travel.
it is what it is, and it can be; it's not what it isn't and it cannot be.