Zeb on the Maya

The Maya was a civilization that lasted from ancient times until the 1600s. The history of the Mayans is divided into three parts; Preclassic, Classic, and Post Classic. The Preclassic Mayans established early settlements and were just starting construction of ceremonial architecture. The Classic Period was when the the size of the Mayan urban areas and construction of the famous Mayan stepped pyramids reached an all time high. During that time, there was also plenty of art as well as a written language that described partly of what was going on. There was a great deal of trade with nearby civilizations. In the late Classic period, many Mayan settlements began declining and were abandoned, and there was a decrease in construction until there was none. Many debate on why this happened and there are many theories. The Post Classic period was when the Mayans continued in separate states, though smaller then during the Classic period until the Spainish arrived and destroyed the Mayans, with the help of diseases. I will discuss the theories on how the Mayans disappeared in the Classic period.

The first theory is natural events. Scientists say they have evidence that there was a two hundred year long drought there at the time of the decline of the Classic Maya. Some scientists say it is possible there was a disease outbreak among the Mayans since the urban desinty is very high.

The second theory is the envorimental destruction theory. It was possible that the Mayans, with their huge urban density could have impacted the envoriment around them. They cut down trees, reducing rainfall and causing widespread erosion and soil exhaustion. This is one of the most widely believed theories.

The third most widespread theory is foreign invasion and cut off of trade routes that might have also led to social insablity. However, many scientists believe that foreign invasion is not the main cause of the collapse of Classic Maya because no military defeat could explain its sudden decline.

Many sicentists still debate on the causes of the collapse of Classic Maya. Personally I believe that it is all three theories combined that describes the collapse, a combination of human and natural triggered events. The drought could have led to war among the Mayans or the enviromental problems could have caused them to flee and explain the sudden disappearance of trade. Hopefully, more research will enable us to understand the causes of the Mayan collapse.