Theory on the collapse of the Mayan civilization

2009-11-09T11:14:00.000-08:00

Even though there are many different theories on how the Mayans died out, two theories popped out at me and seemed the most reasonable explanations to how the Mayans no longer came to be. One of these theories is the theory that the Mayans' main crop, corn, was becoming scarcer each year. To feed a large empire, you need to provide the people with food each year, and this is what the Mayan farmers did, except they missed one important thing. To make sure your farmland is ready to grow more crops each year, you need to allow the land to rest, which is called a fallow period. If you were a farmer and you were in a hurry to grow crops, you might as well skip the fallow period, which would weaken your land and you would grow less and less crops. As a result, the Mayan people began to run low on food, which brings us to our next theory. The theory of the Mayans dying of anemia seemed to be a follow up to the theory of the lesser crops. Anemia is a disease which is caused when one has a lack of iron in their diet, which cause some areas in the back of the skull to become spongy-looking. Anemia is a result of malnutrition, which could have been an effect on the Mayas due to their scarce crops and lack of food. 80% of the skulls found at Copan, a Maya site located in western Honduras, show evidence of anemia. These two theories fit each other, but anemia could have not been the only effect on the Maya due to the lack of food. Another theory is the collapse of the Maya government and the peace between the Mayan people. Imagine there are two groups of people, both starving and having the strong desire of food. Most likely, these two groups would attack each other for the others' food, and therefore, and war could have been born between the two groups. This example could have happened between different groups of the Maya. The out break of war could have weakened the Maya empire, killing off its people and destroying others' villages, houses, etc. Even though this theory doesn't seem as likely to happen, it is still a possibility. Despite all the theories about there about the Mayan wipe out, these theories, to me, seem the most reasonable and could have actually happened, but again, no one knows for sure how the Maya empire collapsed.

Pictures:

This is the corn crop the Mayans grew. Corn was the main food of the Mayan,
and due to its lesser portions each year, its not surprising that the Maya might
have died out due to starvation.

These skulls, found in Copan, are evidence that the Mayan people might have died from anemia, which happens when a person doesn't have enough iron in their diet. This also is evidence that the the Mayan people didn't have enough food and starved.

This picture shows Mayan warriors fighting against each other. This could be a result of starvation and the wanting of food. It's likely that the Mayan people might have fought among each other for food or farmland.

Videos:

Who Killed The Maya? Videos by The History Channel

Part 1:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSw-TES7dgs&feature=related

Part 2:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1Og1PIaXd0&feature=related

Part 3:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LvOM7vZu0E&feature=related

Part 4:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ye-sIfq0epQ&feature=related

Part 5:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAWr89CMXjA&feature=related

Adriana's social studies blog

Theory on the collapse of the Mayan civilization