6/20/2023 0 Comments Collapse by jared diamond![]() ![]() In his 2005 book Collapse, though, Jared Diamond put forth a different sort of theory-that a prolonged drought, exacerbated by ill-advised deforestation, forced Mayan populations to abandon their cities. That hypothesis has finally been put to the test with archaeological evidence and environmental data and the results published this week in a pair of studies. Scholars and laypeople have proposed countless theories accounting for the collapse, ranging from the plausible (overhunting, foreign invasion, peasant revolt) to the absurd (alien invasion, supernatural forces). It’s long been one of ancient history’s most intriguing mysteries: Why did the Maya, a remarkably sophisticated civilization made up of more than 19 million people, suddenly collapse sometime during the 8th or 9th centuries? Although the Mayan people never entirely disappeared-their descendants still live across Central America-dozens of core urban areas in the lowlands of the Yucatan peninsula, such as Tikal, went from bustling cities to abandoned ruins over the course of roughly a hundred years. ![]() Bustling Mayan cities such as Tikal, in present-day Guatemala, were likely abandoned due to a combination of deforestation and drought. ![]()
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