Maia collapse explained? New study points 13 years straight from drought

This scenario coincides with archaeological data that reveals profound changes in the Mayan society. Stone cities in the south were abandoned. Whole dynasties came to an end. Large northern centers, such as Chichén Itzá, saw the construction of monuments and inscriptions to stop suddenly.

Decline of a civilization

This period of Mayan history has been a source of fascination for centuries. There were multiple theories about what caused collapse, such as changes in the commercial routes, wars or severe droughts, based on the archaeological evidence left by the Mayans. But in recent decades, we have begun to learn a lot about what happened with the Mayans and why, when combining archaeological data with quantifiable climate evidence Daniel H. James, main author of the study, in a statement

Since the 1990s, researchers have been relate to climate records to the dates recorded in Mayan Monuments. Now, with detailed analysis of the stalagmite layers, it was possible to get an even more accurate view. The annual layers of about 1 mm showed not only averages of rain, but also the direct impact of droughts on rainy seasons.

It has not been possible to directly compare the history of individual Mayan sites with what we previously knew about climate record. Lake sediments are great when you want to observe the overall panorama, but the stalagmites allow us to access the fine details that were missing Daniel H. James