Scientists traced 800 years of history and concluded that Mayapán — the Mayan capital of the Yucatan Peninsula in the 13th and 14th centuries AD — may have been devastated by drought. The lack of water probably led to social conflicts, which in turn contributed to the collapse of civilization, researchers say.
In earlier studies, drought was mentioned as one of the main causes of the collapse of the Maya civilization (more on this in the text: The Maya civilization collapsed due to drought?). Now, after a careful study of Mayan history, scientists have more data to support this thesis.
A new study gives us an insight into the history of this ancient people. It is also a warning of how climate change can rapidly affect even the most established and prospering civilizations. The article describing the results of the analyzes was published in the journal “Nature Communications” (DOI: 10.1038 / s41467–022–31522-x).
According to the researchers, many sources indicate that social conflicts intensified with the onset of the drought in the years 1400–1450. During this time, people retreated to smaller and safer settlements. “We claim that a prolonged drought has escalated tensions between rival factions. However, later adaptations reveal regional resilience to the threat. As a result, the Mayan political and economic structures survived until contact with Europe in the early sixteenth century AD “- write scientists in their work.
Previous research helped
The team already had a lot of data to work with, including population changes, diets and climatic conditions at the time. These records have been supplemented with a new analysis of human remains for traces of injuries indicating a conflict.
There were correlations between rainfall and an increased population in the area, and between successive falls in rainfall and growing conflicts. The prolonged drought in the years 1400–1450 most likely led to the abandonment of the city of Mayapán.
New research suggests that the lack of water may have affected agricultural practices and trade routes, putting a strain on the people of Mayapán. As food became more difficult and the situation became more dangerous, people died or dispersed.
In the last mass grave created before leaving the city, many remains were found, probably belonging to members of the then ruling Kokom families. “Our findings confirm the historic institutional collapse of Mayapán in 1441–1461, a consequence of a conflict fueled by political rivalry that endured in the memory of the Yucatan peoples. His testimonies entered a written record of the early colonial period, ”the researchers write.
Human responses to climate change
Human responses to environmental pressures such as drought are of course complex, varying with region and epoch. Movement of people to other parts of the Yucatan Peninsula, including thriving coastal towns and politically independent settlements, helped the Mayan culture continue to flourish after the Mayapán fall.
This is evidence of “the resilience of the human-environmental adaptation system,” the researchers say. However, adaptations only work up to a point. These same regions, along with the rest of the world, are once again facing a climate crisis.
“Archaeological and historical records are well suited to studying the past social effects of climate crises,” the researchers write.
Source: Science Alert
No comments:
Post a Comment