LASSD Blog

The collapse of the Mayan Empire

2009-11-09T17:06:00.000-08:00

The Mayan Empire was a grand enormous civilization, yet it ended when all the Mayans mysteriously abandoned all the cities because of reasons known only to the Mayans who lived then. Nobody in the modern world knows why. However, I have formulated a theory of my own on the collapse of the Maya. I believe that because the Mayan empire was so large, farmers had to till the same fields over and over to try and feed the empire. However, because the fields were plowed so much, they couldn't have wild grasses grow back on top of them to hold the rich topsoil in place. This allowed the topsoil to blow away, leaving behind soil less rich in nutrients, making it harder for corn and other crops to grow. Also, without plants to help hold the soil in place, there was erosion, making landslides that could destroy whole villages. Because the crops were all weak or nonexistent, the Mayan people became severely malnourished. In turn, the Mayans, both the farmers and even the nobles, became anemic due to a lack of key vitamins and iron deficiencies. Anemia also left the civilization more vulnerable to disease. As anemia and vitamin deficiencies became more severe, the birth rate dropped significantly. Plus unhealthy mom+unhealthy dad=unhealthy kid. The few children that were born were very weak and usually didn't live very long. Is it any wonder that the Mayas left their cities? What if you were a Mayan woman living in this time? The crops you have are small and weak, and there isn't much to go around. Your husband in the field says that the crops are getting even smaller. There are huge landslides very often, and your village was abandoned after a particularly violent one. You feel tired and weak all the time, and your baby, the only baby the village had seen for a long time, was born dead. It must have really seemed as if the gods had turned their backs on the Maya, or were angry with them. With many elements working against them, is it any wonder that the Mayas shrank from empire to city to village, and then quietly died out? Feel free to disagree, but that is my theory of how and why the Mayan Empire fell.

Pictures: top: corn, every Mayan's dream, left: a modern day landslide that looks something like the ones that plagued the Maya, right: a skull that shows evidence of anemia

2009-10-22T18:33:00.000-07:00

An Inca silver llama sculpture.

At the top right you can see the Inca's detailed and surprisingly accurate calendar.

2009-10-22T18:23:00.000-07:00

A kind of cute Chancay pottery figure.

This is a Chancay lizard pot.

At the top there is a woven bird textile, made by the Chancay.

2009-10-22T18:11:00.000-07:00

A piece of Chimu pottery.

A beautiful silver Chimu cup.

This is a Chimu funeral mask. Creepy looking, isn't it?

2009-10-22T17:05:00.000-07:00

This is a Paracas skull. The skulls are highly unusual, and have an increased brain capacity.

2009-10-22T07:44:00.001-07:00

A ceramic vase made by the Paracas

2009-10-22T07:41:00.000-07:00

Detailed Paracas gold.

2009-10-22T07:39:00.001-07:00

A Paracas woven textile.

2009-10-22T07:34:00.000-07:00

A Moche golden necklace with feline heads.

2009-10-22T07:32:00.000-07:00

A piece of Moche pottery

2009-10-22T07:29:00.000-07:00

A Moche sculpted human-head bottle

2009-10-22T07:26:00.000-07:00

Another Nazca line formation, this time of an insect

2009-10-22T07:20:00.000-07:00

A Nazca mummified head, most likely from the Nazca's own people.

2009-10-22T07:17:00.000-07:00

A piece of Nazca pottery

2009-10-22T07:15:00.000-07:00

The giant mysterious Nazca lines

2009-10-22T07:02:00.001-07:00

2009-10-22T07:00:00.000-07:00

This is where the Chavin Tribe used to live.

2009-10-22T06:58:00.000-07:00

A delicately crafted Chavin crown

2009-10-22T06:55:00.000-07:00

This is a beautifully crafted Chavin pot.

2009-10-22T06:46:00.000-07:00

A piece of ancient Chavin Tribe artwork