There have been many attempts to explain what led to the downfall of the Maya civilization. Between 800 and 1000 CE, many villages and cities in the Yucatan, Belize, and Puuc regions were especially prosperous, but by the Terminal Classic Period many of them had stopped thriving.
Experts have blamed many factors, including trade collapse and overpopulation, but a study published in Science Advances now points to climate change and, in particular, drought, as the main reason for their collapse.
The source of this evidence was the Tzabnah caves close to Tecoh, Yucatan. There, scientists were able to study the unique stalagmite Tzab06-1, which, as a result of undergoing repetitive geological processes over the years, had been able to record climatic patterns. Analysis of thousands of geological samples led them to accurately reconstruct climatic patterns for the years of 871 and 1021 CE. Instead of a singular climatic event, what the scientists uncovered was a series of catastrophically long droughts which, in turn, led to turmoil among the political elite of the Maya civilization, the destruction of their agricultural base, and the decimation of their maize farming, which formed the very foundation of their civilization.
Drought, corn, and survival
The record spanning a period of over 150 years have information on a total of 8 droughts. Between 929 and 942 CE, for a period of 13 years, one particular drought was especially destructive, its consequences were devastating to a civilization centered around maize farming. To a certain extent, the Maya were able to carry on.
The practices of storing water through sophisticated cisterns and reservoirs was highly innovative. But when crops dried up, famine descends, and ruler authority—with big promises—came to and end. Even the more advanced civilizations succumb to the relentless droughts of nature.
Two cities, Uxmal and Chichén Itza
Uxmal, at least according to the archeological evidence, was hit the hardest and the fastest. In and around 907CE, the last monumental constructions and hieroglyphs were finished precisely during a series of droughts. Without dependable crops, legitimate leaders dry up. Chichén Itza, located further east, entered its own golden age. It experienced a winning streak… For a little bit.
Chichén Itzá expanded its trade networks and collected tribute from surrounding regions, giving it extra resilience, however, was unable to avoid the ramifications of the megadrought of the eleventh Century. And when the failure of the rains again happened to scale, the city began, like the rains, to lose its fortunes in the which began to fade.
The final drought and the lesson it leaves
One of the most astonishing discoveries in the stalagmite Tzab06-1 is the total pause of growth of it.
Between 1021 and 1070 CE, stalagmite Tzab06-1 shows a complete growth pause—evidence of a drought so severe that even the cave stopped dripping. It was a shock to the entire central Yucatán and Belize. The megadrought began, marking the shift into the Postclassic, and it’s at this point when the classic maya cities finally collapse.
The dominance of Maya rulers, that was once tied to their ability to ensure fertile harvests, eroded year after year. Archaeological records show that across Yucatán and Belize, the droughts brought widespread disintegration of once-great centers, leaving only traces of their former power.
Science shows us that stalagmites are like natural history books, have civilization dominance was the vertebrate hung above the ages with the rest to loss this incredible’.
It’s because of stalagmite Tzab06–1 that we understand the Maya collapse in a different light: it was more a result of chronic environmental strain than a cataclysmic disaster. And that lesson still matters today because it shows once again how reliable is Earth on climate change.