I visited Chichen Itza a few years back...The Mayans were incredible mathematicians. And also blood thirsty for sacrifices and games...
Their lust for blood couldn't do much against gun-power so, in the end, they would have been doomed no matter what.
Did you ever see that movie APOCALYPTO? It was about just those folks over there. No English, all subtitles in their native language.
Great movie.
MEL GIBSON, of all people, produced and directed it.
I wonder what the math folk thought about the sacrifices.