The Maya Collapse

Instrumentation Light Isotope Mass Spectrometer, ICP-MS Application Environment Place Caribbean 

Question Did climate cause the collapse of Maya civilization  

Hodell, David A., Mark Brenner and Jason H. Curtis. 2005. Terminal Classic drought in the northern Maya lowlands inferred from multiple sediment cores in Lake Chichancanab (Mexico). Quaternary Science Reviews 24 1413-1427. 

Yaeger, J., D. Hodell. 2007 The Collapse of Maya Civilization Assessing the Interaction of Culture, Climate, and Environment. In El Nino, Catastrophism, and Culture Change in Ancient America, ed. by D.H. Sandweiss J. Quilter, pp. 197-251. Washington, D.C. Dumbarton Oaks. 

Several pieces of evidence, however, point to a rapid decline for the Maya. The Maya erected many dated monuments during their heyday, but around ad 800 the number declines (Fig. 7.8). At the same time, royal dynasties disappear from view and many major centers were abandoned without evidence of violence or destruction. Another indication can be seen in the radiocarbon dates from the area, showing a precipitous decrease after ad 800. However, the dates show a decrease, not a disappearance, indicating that some human presence continued in the area. 

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White, C.D. 1997 Ancient diet at Lamanai and Pacbitun implications for the ecological model of collapse. In Whittington, S.L and Reed, D.M., eds.. Bones of the Maya Studies of Ancient Skeletons. Washington, DC, Smithsonian Institution Press 171-180. 

Wright, L.E. and White, C.D. 1996 Human biology in the Classic Maya collapse evidence from paleopathology and paleodiet. Journal of World Prehistory 10 147-198. 

The question of what happened to the Maya - why their civilization and its inhabitants had largely disappeared by the time of the Spanish arrival - has intrigued scholars for decades. Many theories have been put forth concerned with either the demise of just the elite class or the collapse of the entire social system (Table 7.1). In the elite scenario, common folk continue to live in the region for some time, but eventually die out. Theories for the collapse of the entire society involve either short-term catastrophic events or long-term changes to explain the abandonment of the Maya region. 

Clearly climate change needs to be considered in debates about the collapse of the Maya. Clearly as well climate change is not the only possible cause. And, of course, the question still remains as to whether there were significant droughts during the period that the Classic Maya flourished and before the collapse. If drought was a periodic phenomenon in this region, it would not help explain the collapse. The reasons for the disappearance of the Maya civilization are still not understood. 

Culbert, TP. 1988 The eollapse of Classie Maya civilization. In Yoffee, N. and Cowgill, G.L., eds.. The Collapse of Ancient States and Civilizations. Tucson, University of Arizona Press 69-101. 

Ecology or society Paleodiet and the collapse of the Pasion Maya lowlands. In... 

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