Secrets And The Collapse Of The Maya Essay - 926 Words

Secrets Locked in Stone Maya scholars debated for decades over the fate of the Maya. Recent evidence from an unlikely source, points a sustained drought in the 9th and 10th Centuries. Stalagmites and Stone Carvings Offer Clues on the Collapse of the Maya Civilization Circa 900 A.D., the Maya world fell apart. How could an ancient Meso American civilization flourish for hundreds of years only to fade into the forest? That riddle has perplexed scholars ever since 19th century explorers John Stephens and Frederick Catherwood first stumbled upon moldering ruins to discover lost cities, vine-covered temples and an infrastructure worthy of a small kingdom. Although the full extent of what befell Maya cities like Tikal and Copan, on the Yucatan-Peten Peninsula in present day Mexico and Central America, remains a mystery. Research points a change in long-term weather patterns brought about their decline. Part of a growing body of evidence, popularized by academics like Jared Diamond that a prolonged drought preceded by abundant rainfall had turned prosperous Maya city-states into desolate ghost towns. A Cave Yield’s Clues New studies have shed new light on this phenomenon. According to a paper published in Science magazine, between 820 and 870 A.D., the Maya received 40 percent less rainfall than in prior decades. Scientists surmise that the lack of rainfall tore at the social fabric of the Maya civilization. The findings are based on the research ofShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Maya s The Maya 942 Words   |  4 PagesMaya Secrets Locked in Stone Maya scholars debated for decades over the fate of the Maya. Recent evidence from an unlikely source, points a sustained drought in the 9th and 10th Centuries. Stalagmites and Stone Carvings Offer Clues on the Collapse of the Maya Civilization Circa 900 A.D., the Maya world fell apart. How could an ancient Meso American civilization flourish for hundreds of years only to fade into the forest? That riddle has perplexed scholars ever since 19th century explorersRead MoreMaya Civilization Collapse1311 Words   |  6 PagesThe example of societal collapse in which I will be making reference to throughout this essay is the Maya civilization. The Maya civilization is, â€Å"probably the best known of all early American civilizations.† (Fagan, 1995) It was at its strongest point between AD 300 AND 900. Around AD 900 was the time of its collapse. This civilization was developed in a densely, tropical forest on either highlands or lowlands. Today to visit a Mayan site, people would go to the modern Mexican state, capital cityRead MoreThe Aztecs Werelocated In Mexico, Built On A Series Of1180 Words   |  5 Pageseducation and pharmacology. The Aztec empire was one of the first to require mandatory education for its children. The Maya are an indigenous people of Mexico and Central America who have continuously inhabited the lands comprising modern-day Yucatà ¡n, Quintana Roo, Campeche, Tabasco, and Chiapas in Mexico and southward through Guatemala,Belize, El Salvador and Honduras. Maya of Yucatan and Guatemala exhibited a cultural continuity spanning more than 2,000 years (1000 BC-AD 1542), and many aspectsRead MoreCollapse, By Jared Diamond1697 Words   |  7 Pages In his book Collapse, Jared Diamond gives you an in depth look at societies you may or may not be familiar with and shows you the secrets to their success or failure using his personal 5-point framework. I enjoyed this book and thought he made a lot of good points and had convincing evidence to back it up. While reading you could really tell he knew a lot about the areas he discussed because of the depth he went into with details and descriptions. One complaint I would have about the book is theRead MoreResearch Paper on Maya Civilization4670 Words   |  19 PagesResearch Paper on Mayan Civilization The Maya Introduction All remnants of the distant past are romantic, but ancient Maya civilization has a special fascination. It is a lost civilization, whose secrets lie deep in the mysterious tropical forest. The style of Maya architecture and sculpture seems alien and bizarre. The breathtaking splendor of ornate cites, the beautifully constructed grand temples, and the ingeniously developed and advanced caledretics, mathematics, and astronomy easily markRead MoreFractal Time4430 Words   |  18 PagesFRACTAL TIME (ESSAY) Introduction In his book, first published in 2009, Fractal Time: The Secret of 2012 and a New World Age’, Gregg Braden gave wonderful clues into what we would expect to occur in our world and universe by the year 2012. Though years have passed since the first publication of the book, the information in the book remains relevant to us today. Gregg labours to elaborate how it is possible to read the past in order to discover what the future holds for us in our world andRead MoreFractal Time4424 Words   |  18 PagesFRACTAL TIME (ESSAY) Introduction In his book, first published in 2009, Fractal Time: The Secret of 2012 and a New World Age’, Gregg Braden gave wonderful clues into what we would expect to occur in our world and universe by the year 2012. Though years have passed since the first publication of the book, the information in the book remains relevant to us today. Gregg labours to elaborate how it is possible to read the past in order to discover what the future holds for us in our world and universeRead MoreApush Terms Chapter 1 a People and a Nation Essay examples4705 Words   |  19 Pages probably moving as bands composed of extended families. The Mayas: Developed approximately two thousand years ago. On the Yucatan Peninsula, in today’s eastern Mexico, the Mayas built urban centers containing tall pyramids and temples. They studied astronomy and created and elaborate writing system. Their city-states, though, engaged in near-constant warfare with one another. Warfare and an inadequate food supply caused the collapse of the most powerful cities by 900 C.E., thus ending the classicRead MoreChapter 1 Apush Notes [Americas History]2669 Words   |  11 Pagestribal structures 6000 B.C.--- domesticated crops Planted beans, squash and maize-- kept soil fertile Agricultural growth led to: Population growth Economic foundation for wealthy urban societies The Mayas 700 B.C.-- Mesoamerican civ began among Olmec people Along Gulf of Mexico Mayas built urban centers that relied on complex systems of irrigation A.D. 300-- 20,000 people lived in Mayan city of Tikal Mostly farmers who built stone temples Elite class who claimed to be descended fromRead More The Struggle of EZNL In Modern Mexico Essay4460 Words   |  18 Pagesconquest, genocide, racism.†1 TIMELINE 2 1521 - Tenochtitlan (now Mexico City) falls to Hernan Cortes of Spain 1525 - Francisco Montejo and his Spanish troops complete their conquest of the Mayans 17th Century - Economy of ‘New Spain’ collapses. Spanish rulers by this time have robbed Mexico of its natural resources and created vast plantations for the export of goods such as wheat and sugar. The native population which stood at 12 million in 1520 is cut by disease