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Secrets And The Collapse Of The Maya Essay

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Secrets Locked in Stone

Maya scholars debated for decades over the fate of the Maya. Recent evidence from an unlikely source, points a sustained drought in the 9th and 10th Centuries.

Stalagmites and Stone Carvings Offer Clues on the Collapse of the Maya Civilization

Circa 900 A.D., the Maya world fell apart. How could an ancient Meso
American civilization flourish for hundreds of years only to fade into the forest? That riddle has perplexed scholars ever since 19th century explorers
John Stephens and Frederick Catherwood first stumbled upon moldering ruins to discover lost cities, vine-covered temples and an infrastructure worthy of a small kingdom.

Although the full extent of what befell Maya cities like Tikal and Copan, on the Yucatan-Peten Peninsula in present day Mexico and Central
America, remains a mystery. Research points a change in long-term weather patterns brought about their decline. Part of a growing body of evidence, popularized by academics like Jared Diamond that a prolonged drought preceded by abundant rainfall had turned prosperous Maya city-states into desolate ghost towns.

A Cave Yield’s Clues

New studies have shed new light on this phenomenon. According to a paper published in Science magazine, between 820 and 870 A.D., the Maya received 40 percent less rainfall than in prior decades. Scientists surmise that the lack of rainfall tore at the social fabric of the Maya civilization. The findings are based on the research of

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