Maya Empire - 2343 Words

Name Institution Professor Date Causes of the Maya Empire Decline Introduction The Maya Empire that was located in the tropical lowlands of what now stands as the Guatamela reached its climax of power and influence in the sixth century A.D. The Maya were successful in farming, hieroglyph writing, pottery, mathematics, and architecture. They left behind impressive architecture and inscriptions that are a record of their symbolic artwork. Researchers have established that the Maya cities were completely abandoned by 900 A.D. Evidence reveals that the Maya Civilization was among the most dominant indigenous societies in Mesopotamia. Different from other indigenous populations, the Maya were centered in one geographical region. Evidence that†¦show more content†¦Some scholars believe that the Maya had exhausted the environment that it could seldom support them anymore (Fasold 34). By the ninth century, available natural resources that were largely depended on by the Maya community could not support the numbers. Other scholars associate the decline to confl icts and warfare between competing Maya cities. Constant warfare resulted in complicated military forces, breakage of marriages, breakage of trade alliances, and collapse of the traditional system of dynasty power (Fasold 34). The statute of the holy lords was compromised and diminished. This led to the complex traditions of ceremonies and rituals being dissolved into chaos. There are suggestions that some catastrophic environmental changes such as prolonged periods of drought could be the cause of the fall. Cities such as Tikal depended largely on rainwater for drinking and irrigation. Prolonged draughts therefore must have had devastating effects on the cities (Petrakis 37). Notably, these factors may have contributed to the decline collectively other than individually. The history of the civilization shows that the population increased to about two million people within a short duration then started to decline. Certainly, exhaustion of natural resources must follow population decrease. This comes along with increased conflicts as populations compete for resources. A common probably resultShow MoreRelatedThe Mayan Civilization And The Maya Empire1677 Words   |  7 Pages The Mayan civilization or the Maya Empire, centered in the tropical lowlands of what is now Guatemala, reached the peak of its power and influence around the sixth century A.D. The Maya excelled at agriculture, pottery, hieroglyph writing, calendar-making and mathematics, and left behind an astonishing amount of impressive architecture and symbolic artwork. Most of the great stone cities of the Maya were abandoned by A.D. 900. 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Another series directed towards Temples of the Yucatan was published in 1948 and shed light on fading Mayan culture, as well as the beautiful ruins of Chichen Itza. This once great center of the Mayan empire is essential to understanding the esteem of the Mayan people. Additionally, The Rio Grand: River of Destiny, was a collection that studied the great river and the inhabitants along its banks. This book debuted the following year in 1949. Although