The collapse of the Maya civilization was caused by environmental degradation and drought
Multiple scientific and archaeological studies support the conclusion that environmental degradation and severe droughts were primary contributors to the collapse and transformation of the Classic Maya civilization.
The retrieved papers consistently point to environmental factors, including deforestation, soil erosion, and prolonged droughts during the Terminal Classic Period, as major drivers of the collapse of the Maya civilization. While modern scholarship emphasizes that these environmental pressures interacted with socio-political vulnerabilities and warfare rather than acting in total isolation, the evidence strongly supports the role of environmental degradation and drought as central causes.
Kuil L, Carr G, Viglione A, Prskawetz A, Blöschl G. Conceptualizing socio-hydrological drought processes: The case of the Maya collapse.. 2016. https://doi.org/10.1002/2015wr018298
Simulations demonstrate that modest drought periods played a major role in the society's collapse, potentially leading to an 80% population drop.
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Waters MN, Brenner M, Curtis JH, Romero-Oliva CS, Dix M, Cano M. Harmful algal blooms and cyanotoxins in Lake Amatitlán, Guatemala, coincided with ancient Maya occupation in the watershed.. 2021. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2109919118
Data show that human-induced deforestation, soil erosion, and intense periodic droughts created significant environmental stressors for the ancient Maya.
Sullivan RM, van Hengstum PJ, Donnelly JP, Tamalavage AE, Winkler TS, Little SN, Mejia-Ortiz L, Reinhardt EG, Meacham S, Schumacher C, Korty R. Northeast Yucatan hurricane activity during the Maya Classic and Postclassic periods.. 2022. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-22756-2
Sediment records indicate that persistent environmental stressors, such as multi-decadal droughts and hurricane activity, coincided with the Maya Terminal Classic decline.
Kenneth E. Seligson. Collapse and Resilience. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780197652923.003.0007
Intense droughts lasting from three to twenty-plus years in the ninth and tenth centuries are widely accepted to have contributed to the destabilization of the Classic Maya order.
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