Theories of Mayan Disappearance - Essay Example

The second theory explaining the collapse of the Mayan civilization is due to ecological destruction.
According to a theory espoused by Lemonick, uncontrolled warfare might have led to the downfall of the Mayan civilization (Markowitz, 2003). Markowitz explained that after A.D. 250, vicious wars escalated that has resulted in cities becoming virtual ghost towns (2003). Although the Mayans were hoping to become a single empire, it was not possible.  "After Tikal was sacked, it eventually roared back and crushed Calakmul. And then the Maya world broke up into regional powers, setting the stage for a period of intensive, petty warfare that finally led to the collapse of the Maya" (Markowitz, 2003). David Stuart, a Maya hieroglyph expert at Harvard University is convinced that warfare brought about the destruction of the Mayan civilization but he believes that other factors contributed to it (Markowitz, 2003). Moreover, this warfare theory is evidenced by the seventh century Dos Pilas inscriptions but these inscriptions did not validate that the warfare led to the complete desertion of the Mayan cities.
The second theory that hoped to explain the downfall of the Mayan civilization is the environmental factor.  According to Haug, et al (2003) as cited by Markowitz, a series of three massive droughts led to the destruction of the Mayans (Markowitz, 2003). Since farming was the source of livelihood of the Mayans, they relied heavily on water. This is the reason why they created a system of canals and artificial reservoirs which provided them with power and control over the people (Markowitz, 2003). Haug, et al.'s theory stated that the Mayan civilization expanded rapidly during the favorable climates, meaning when there was enough rainfall which was during the 550 to 750 A.D. However, when the dry climate began in 760 C.E., the Mayan society felt the effects of the drought.  Haug et al. rationalized their theory by stating that “the artificial water control was correlated with the degree of the political power of Maya cities” (Markowitz, 2003). Further research by archaeologist Patrick Culbert showed that there were no more tropical forests left at the time of the Mayan collapse, as evidenced by pollen found in the underground debris (Markowitz, 2003).
David Hodell, a paleoclimatologist stated in his research that he believed that drought played a major role in the downfall of the Mayan civilization but other factors such as population growth, land degradation, and sociopolitical change also contributed to the loss of the civilization (Kerr, 2001).
Based on the above theories cited, one can say that the collapse of the Mayan civilization was a combination of two factors, that is, warfare and the environmental factor, specifically the massive droughts experienced by the Mayans. As Hodell aptly explained it, a collapse of a civilization is far more too complex to attribute it to only one factor (Kerr, 2001).