Classic Maya collapse facts for kids

The Classic Maya collapse was a time when many great Maya cities in the southern lowlands of Mesoamerica were left empty. This happened between the 7th and 9th centuries AD. It's one of the biggest mysteries in archaeology!

During this time, important cities like Palenque, Copán, Tikal, and Calakmul saw less building and writing on monuments. They were later abandoned. Even though it's called a "collapse," it wasn't the end of the Maya people. Instead, their power shifted to the northern Yucatán Peninsula. New cities like Chichén Itzá and Mayapán grew strong there. Millions of Maya people still live in the Yucatán today.

Some experts don't like the word "collapse" because Maya civilization continued in other areas.

How the Decline Happened

The Maya often carved dates on the stone monuments they built. Around 500 AD, they built about ten dated monuments each year. This number grew to 40 per year by 750 AD. But after that, the number dropped quickly. By 800 AD, it was back to ten, and by 900 AD, almost none were being built.

Lists of kings also show this decline. In Copán, the last king on a famous monument ruled until 763 AD. The kingdom likely fell apart soon after. Other Maya kingdoms in the area also fell around the same time.

Scientists used a method called obsidian hydration dating to study settlements in the Copán Valley. They found that between 750 and 800 AD, the population was about 28,000 people. This was bigger than London at that time! But by 900 AD, the population had fallen to 15,000. By 1200 AD, fewer than 1,000 people lived there.

Why Did It Happen?

There are over 80 different ideas about why the Classic Maya cities declined. These ideas range from climate change to too much deforestation. No single theory is accepted by everyone. However, drought has become a leading idea as more scientific studies are done.

Foreign Invasion

Some experts think that groups from outside the Maya area invaded the southern lowlands. They believe this invasion started in the 9th century and led to the fall of the Classic Maya within 100 years. These invaders might have been influenced by the Toltec people from central Mexico.

However, most Maya experts don't think foreign invasion was the main reason. They argue that a military defeat can't explain such a long and complex decline. Also, if there was an invasion, where did all the people go? And why didn't the Maya rebuild their governments like other civilizations did after revolts?

Trade Routes Collapsed

Another idea is that the Maya's important trade routes broke down. Especially those connected to the big city of Teotihuacán in central Mexico. At first, people thought Teotihuacán fell around 700-750 AD, which would have changed trade for the Maya.

But now, experts believe Teotihuacán started to lose its power much earlier, around 600-650 AD. This means the Maya continued to do well for another century after Teotihuacán's decline. So, while Teotihuacán's fall might have caused some changes, it probably didn't directly cause the Classic Maya collapse.

Diseases

Some scientists think widespread disease could have played a part in the Maya decline. Diseases can quickly reduce a population. They can also make it harder for people to recover over time.

Tropical rainforests, like the Maya lowlands, often have diseases spread by parasites. The Maya might have faced infections that caused severe diarrhea. As their civilization grew, they might have created environments where disease-carrying insects thrived. Diseases that caused diarrhea would have been very harmful to children. This would have made them weaker and more likely to get other illnesses later in life. This idea suggests disease could be a partial reason for the collapse.

Drought Theory

The drought theory suggests that severe droughts caused the Classic Maya collapse. Scientists who study ancient climates have found strong evidence of long droughts in the Yucatán Peninsula and Petén Basin during the time of the decline. These droughts would have made it hard to grow crops. They also would have caused thin tropical soils to wash away without plants and trees to hold them.

Scientists first thought about climate factors in 1931. In 1995, studies of lake mud in the Yucatán showed a very strong drought in the 9th century AD. This was exactly when the Classic Maya declined. One expert, Richardson Gill, gathered many studies and suggested that a long series of droughts caused the collapse. The drought theory can help explain other factors, like warfare or less trade, because drought would have affected everything.

According to Gill, studies of lake sediments show "unambiguous evidence for a severe 200-year drought from AD 800 to 1000... the most severe in the last 7,000 years... precisely at the time of the Maya Collapse."

The idea of drought has been debated. Many early studies only said if conditions were "wetter" or "drier." It was hard to know how much rainfall actually changed. In 2012, a study tried to measure the drought more precisely. They looked at oxygen isotopes in cave formations. They suggested that even a small drop in rainfall (25 to 40 percent) could have been enough to cause the collapse. Other studies suggest the drop could have been even bigger, up to 65 percent.

A 2018 study in the journal Science gave the most accurate estimate yet. Researchers measured water trapped inside a mineral called gypsum from ancient lakebeds. They found that annual rainfall decreased by 41 to 54 percent during the collapse period. During the worst times, rainfall dropped by up to 70 percent. This kind of data helps scientists understand how droughts affected Maya farming.

Some critics of the drought theory point out that not all Maya regions collapsed at the same time. While many southern cities were abandoned, some northern cities like Chichen Itza, Uxmal, and Coba continued to thrive. This might be because the northern areas had access to the coast and trade routes. Also, the southern areas might have had deeper groundwater, making them more vulnerable to drought.

Other critics, like David Webster, note that much of the drought evidence comes from the northern Yucatán, not the southern part where the Classic Maya were strongest. He argues that if water sources dried up, cities would have moved. However, more recent studies show that droughts happened across the entire Yucatán Peninsula.

Scientists are increasingly finding that climate changes have played a big role in the rise and fall of civilizations worldwide. The Maya lived in a challenging environment. They were in a seasonal desert, meaning they relied on rainwater. Their amazing success for over 2,000 years depended on their ability to store and manage water. Even a small change in rainfall could have had serious effects. Water and civilization were deeply connected for the ancient Maya.

Systemic Ecological Collapse

Some theories focus on how the Maya's farming and use of resources might have led to their decline. At first, people thought the Maya only used a simple "slash-and-burn" farming method. This led to ideas about soil wearing out or erosion.

However, we now know the Maya used many advanced farming techniques. These methods allowed them to feed large populations. They used canals, terraces, raised fields, and even human waste as fertilizer. They also managed swamps and built dams and reservoirs. These methods were very clever and helped them grow food in a difficult environment.

But even with these techniques, problems like deforestation (cutting down too many trees), siltation (mud building up in water systems), and a loss of different kinds of plants and animals could have happened. These environmental issues, combined with a reliance on consistent rainfall, could have made the Maya very vulnerable when droughts hit.

Other Ideas

Anthropologist Joseph Tainter suggested that the Maya collapse was due to their societies becoming too complex. He argued that the benefits of this complexity started to decrease over time. Psychologist Julian Jaynes thought the collapse might have been a failure of social control. He believed that traditional rituals and the king's power couldn't handle the growing complexity of society.