The collapse of Mayan civilization: examining the drought theory

Seafloor Sediments

Mayan Mysteries

the Mystery

What caused the collapse of the Mayan Civilization? In 800 A.D. The Mayan Civilization was thriving in a region from southern Mexico to northern Honduras. These indigenous people (numbering over two million) were competent astronomers, they were successful farmers -- they converted hillsides into fertile fields for crops like maize (corn) and squash -- they built impressive facilities, created an accurate calendar and discussed philosophy. And they were sophisticated enough to have established trade with other peoples in distant places around the globe. But around 900 A.D. The Mayan Civilization appears to have died, vanished, disappeared, and as to what happened to this seemingly advanced civilization remains a mystery. This paper reviews several theories as to why the Mayan Civilization mysteriously vanished, and will use one theory that has the most plausible and scientifically valid narrative.

The most believable, acceptable theory to date

There are more than eighty existing theories as to what happened to the Maya people, but research conducted by author Bonnie Bley leans toward the "drought theory," which has become "…the most accepted" over the past few decades (Bley, 2011). The periods during which the Maya region was very wet ended around 760 A.D. -- and a "severe 200-year drought began" at about that same time, Bley explains. How do researchers know when the drought began? Scientists have examined sediment cores from Yucatan Lake and they have also analyzed "…climatic, historical, hydrologic, tree ring, volcanic, geologic & #8230;and archeological…" ruins to come up with this theory. The drought prevented crops to grow in the abundance that the Mayan people had earlier experienced, and hence, without adequate food, a society can collapse.

Nicholas Mott writes in the National Geographic News that recent studies of stalagmites in Belize -- which was part of the Mayan Civilization -- show why the Mayan cities "sprouted" between the years 440 to 660 A.D. Those years were the "…wettest decades" during the Mayan Civilization's existence (Mott, 2012). And the scientist that conducted the Belize research, Dr. Douglas Kennett, an anthropologist from Pennsylvania State University, reported that from 660 to 1000, "…repeated and, at times extreme, drought" occurred (Mott, p. 5). Between 1020 and 1100, the longest, worst dry spell in 2,000 years (verified by studying stalagmites) may well have caused "…crop failure, famine, mass migration, and death" (Mott, p. 5).

In conclusion, there are many theories as to what happened to the Mayan Civilization, but the best science available -- referenced in this paper -- suggests very strongly that drought is likely the cause of the fall of this amazing culture. In other words, it was an ecological disaster, and because the Maya people had always counted on abundant rain, when it stopped, they were without the resources they needed, and that helps to explain their demise.