Theories of collapse in Mayan civilization

Mayan Civilization

Theories Of Collapse Of The Mayan Civilization

The Mayan civilization existed between the third and the tenth centuries A.D. In a region that covers the present parts of Guatemala, Yucatan, and Honduras. Historical analysis shows that the Mayan people had a lively trade irrespective of the poor nature of their soil and abundance of dense forest and insects. The marvel cities and advanced calendar system of the Mayan people attest to their prolific knowledge, expertise, and skills. The perfectly written and maintained manuscript compounds to the prowess nature of this population. However, most of the cities of the Mayan people remained deserted past the tenth century. The reasons behind their disappearance remain a mystery. An assortment of theories has been developed to explain their disappearance (Heley, 2010). Therefore, this research paper discusses two of the theories explaining the disappearance of the Mayan people alongside discussing the most effective theory that explains their disappearance from the theories discussed.

The warfare theory postulates that the disappearance of the Mayan Civilization is highly attributable to the war experienced among the warring neighborhood/communities. Traditionally, the Mayan people were considered as the most peaceful civilization among those of the pacific culture. The relatively advanced civilization, supreme cities, strong military, and cultural basis have attested to the peaceful nature of the Mayan Civilization. Over the years, the peaceful image of the Mayan people was shattered by a series of warfare between different communities with interests in the Mayan flourishing economy. Significant historical evidence shows that the Mayan people did not only war with other communities but also among themselves. For example, stone carvings for the ninth century indicate that the Mayan people waged wars between themselves alongside from the external communities. Cities such as the Copan, Tikal, and Quirifua waged wars among themselves frequently contributing to collapse of the Mayan civilization (Heley, 2010).

It is also evident that factors such as the fight for power, resources, and variance in interests contributed to the wars witnessed among the different Maya cities and communities. Foreign invasion of the Mayan people by the Toltec people of the central Mexico also played a significant role in contributing to the demise of the Mayan Civilization. Other factors that support the war theory for the disappearance of the Mayan Civilization include invasion by the Teotihuacan Army in the ninth century and the weakening nature of the Maya army compounded to the diminishing civilization of the Mayan people (Foster, 2007).

The famine theory postulates that the devastating famine that hit the Mayan people between the ninth and tenth century played a greater role in contributing to the demise of the Mayan Civilization. Traditionally, the pre-classic Mayan people practiced subsistence agriculture to ensure their sustainability. These people also practice slashing and burn cultivation where a large portion of the existing forest was cleared for farming purposes. Those living along the coast practiced fishing alongside growing food crops such as squash, beans, and potatoes. Numerous changes contributed to a number of factors that led to the collapse of its civilization as they advanced and interacted with other people. For example, as the cities grew, the population grew significantly expanding to the uninhabited regions of the Maya territory. Many people started expanding their farms by cultivating the land that was under forest vegetation cover. The increasing population translated to inadequate food supplies that met the needs of the population (Heley, 2010).

In addition, the increasing encroachment of the forestland resulted to decrease in supply of water resources required for plant growth and flourishing. As such, decline in the food supplies for the Mayan population and the decreasing productivity of their soil might have significantly contributed to the collapse of their civilization. Consequently, combining these factors led to agricultural calamity that affected their stable crops and scarcity of food resources; hence, the collapse of the Mayan Civilization (Foster, 2007).