Maya Mayhem

Everyone has a theory regarding the disappearance of the Maya.  Well, maybe not everyone.  But nerds like me certainly do.

I have been modifying mine over the years, and a video clip I just watched HERE made me think about a couple  aspects I had never given much consideration too. 

Which made me want to look at and compare the other facts I have read about.  But I can't because they are all lost in internet limbo. So this post is going to become my repository of facts and ideas I derive from all the Maya information I encounter, as well as the links themselves for future research purposes.

1.  Let's start with today's discoveries:  What ever exterminated the Maya did so in a random fashion, over several decades.

2.  Fire:  The Maya used a form of farming that involved burning trees to the ground, and then planting in the ash.  Perhaps forest fires got out of control during drought seasons, forcing the abandonment of entire cities.

3.  Slavery:  Whatever made the Maya leave Kiuic didn't give them time to pack their bags.  In the video, I heard the archaeologist say he thought that things were left in such a manner as to show that the folks who left them planned on returning.

This made me remember a book I read about the abandoned villages on the western coast of Africa where white men came to collect slaves.  Like in Africa, survivors that got away may have run to the next closest town. 

4.  I think we also need to add that perhaps they just needed to RUN to the list of possibilities, too!  Natural disasters make folks leave their jobs and belongings without care for personal effects.

5.  This one just came to me as I was preparing to wrap up this post.  It has nothing to do with the article or videos.  What if the lead religious figure at Kiuic told the people they needed to leave?  Religion is a major driving force in some migrations even today.  Maybe he or she had a vision, and announced that everyone had to leave immediately.  If Mayan society was as entrenched in their belief system as I think they were, hearing their High Priest say "Go!" may have prompted the seemingly random abandonment of a thriving town.

The final take away I have from the article at USA Today's website was this line:

"Whatever led to the rapid abandonment at Kiuic will offer only clues to collapses elsewhere, not some sort of final word on the large-scale emptying of centers that took place across the Maya world."

This fact is essential to remember.  The Maya inhabited a territory that stretches down  much of modern day Mexico into Central America.  Even if slave drivers or severe droughts caused the Maya at Kiuic to vanish, that doesn't mean the same can be said for those at Uxmal or Xocnaceh.

If you have time, click  HERE.  The article is ok, but the video links at the top are awesome!

__
Update:  8/27

Ancient Maya Pool Discovered in City Ruins

The above linked article details a recent discovery at the ancient city of Uxul.  Reservoirs capable of holding 10 Olympic size pools worth of water were found, theoretically for helping the Maya have enough water to survive the dry season.

Historians know that the Maya at Uxul was conquered by their rivals of Calakmul, but not much is known about why Uxul was overtaken.  Perhaps these giant water repositories will lend clues to solving this puzzle.