Nearly 1,200 years ago, “Tikal” was one of the major cities of the magnificent Maya civilization that stretched across much of what is now southern Mexico, Belize and Guatemala. Tikal was home to perhaps 100,000 people. Farmhouses and fields would have stretched as far as the eye could see. §1
The Maya flourished for nearly 2,000 years. Without the use of the cartwheel or metal tools, they built massive stone structures. They were skilled scientists. They tracked a solar year of 365 days and one of the few surviving ancient Maya books contains tables of eclipses. From observatories, they tracked the progress of the war star, Venus. They developed their own mathematics, using a base number of 20, and had a concept of zero. They also had their own system of writing. Their civilization was so stable and well-established. Mayan society was energetic, but it was also brutal. It was deeply spiritual; humans were sacrificed to satisfy the gods, who required human blood.§
In the ninth century, the Maya world was turned upside down. Many of the great centres like Tikal were deserted. The temples and palaces became home to a few squatters, who left household rubbish in the pristine buildings. When they too left, Tikal was abandoned forever, and the Mayan civilization never recovered. Only some of the Maya people survived to face the Spanish conquistadors in the 16th century.§3
For decades, archaeologists have been searching for an explanation of the Maya collapse. Many theories have been put forward, ranging from warfare and invasion to migration, disease and over-farming. Many think the truth may lie with a combination of these factors. But a recent study has claimed that what devastated the Maya was drought. §4
The Maya flourished for nearly 2,000 years. Without the use of the cartwheel or metal tools, they built massive stone structures. They were skilled scientists. They tracked a solar year of 365 days and one of the few surviving ancient Maya books contains tables of eclipses. From observatories, they tracked the progress of the war star, Venus. They developed their own mathematics, using a base number of 20, and had a concept of zero. They also had their own system of writing. Their civilization was so stable and well-established. Mayan society was energetic, but it was also brutal. It was deeply spiritual; humans were sacrificed to satisfy the gods, who required human blood.§
In the ninth century, the Maya world was turned upside down. Many of the great centres like Tikal were deserted. The temples and palaces became home to a few squatters, who left household rubbish in the pristine buildings. When they too left, Tikal was abandoned forever, and the Mayan civilization never recovered. Only some of the Maya people survived to face the Spanish conquistadors in the 16th century.§3
For decades, archaeologists have been searching for an explanation of the Maya collapse. Many theories have been put forward, ranging from warfare and invasion to migration, disease and over-farming. Many think the truth may lie with a combination of these factors. But a recent study has claimed that what devastated the Maya was drought. §4