Quantification of drought during the collapse of the classic Maya civilization

[bicicleur 2]

http://science.sciencemag.org/content/361/6401/498

A 20 year old theory has now been proven.
The 9-th century collapse of the Mayas was due to drought.
It demonstrates once more how unstable the climate is, and how vulnerable agricultural societies are to those climate changes.

 

[Ygorcs]

It's also important to notice that despite its being located in a tropical rainforest region most of the core Maya territories are not rich in rivers, lakes or other water sources, instead relying a lot on cisterns that collected the rainwater and the underground water exposed in cenotes, also - I assume - highly dependent on the maintenance of their levels by rainwater. Considering how dense and urbanized their agricultural civilization was, and that despite their many cultural advances they weren't exactly a pre-modern population like, say, early Modern Era Europe, India and China, they must've been especially vulnerable to that long drought.