Case Study - Tikal the collapse of classic Mayan culture

Brief History of the Mayans

• There were no “capitals” but each Mayan city was a city-state with its own power and the city-states would usually fight for political and military power
• Hypothesis that drought caused by deforestation is a likely contributor to Mayan collapse at the end of the Classic Period
• Over exhaustion of the land, soil erosion, and disease can also be attributed to the Mayan collapse
•  Mayans didn’t die out, they are still around today, just in reduced numbers.

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Yax Mutul

• Real name is Yax Mutul, Tikal was a given name
• From the center, it is approximately a 12 km radius with an estimated population of around 120,000 at its peak
• This is a significant number. Shakespeare’s London only had 50,000 people
• Was originally inhabited as far back as 1000 BC
• Most of their growth was between 200 – 900 AD
• They were the super-power of the Maya civilization in the classic period
• There was extremely large population growth around 700 AD onwards
• Decline was very steep
• The city was practically abandoned by 950 AD with rumors that a small group stayed for as long as the 10-11th Century

The Big Question

• What caused such a incredible and powerful city state to collapse?
• Environmental Disaster (The land was unable to support the population)
• "An exemplary case of [ecological] overshoot" (Hughes 46)
• No easy way to import/export commodities
• Exhausting nutrients, eroding the soil
• Deforestation
• Political collapse. Tikal lost most of its power amongst other city states and smaller territories they controlled.

Discussion Questions

• What could of been done differently that might of allowed the Mayan civilization to recover and perhaps even thrive once again?
• How did the Mayans differ from the Aztecs and Incas? How did this difference help contribute to the destruction of their civilization? How did it contribute to the advancement of their civilization?
• Had the Mayans lasted as a civilization until the Spanish arrival in the 15th-16th century, what environmental/ecological impact would they have had on the Mayan culture?

Works Cited

"Engineering An Empire - The Maya: Death Empire (History Channel Documentary)." YouTube. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Sept. 2013. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bfp_D_R9ZRI.

Hughes, J. Donald. An environmental history of the world humankind's changing role in the community of life. 2nd ed. London: Routledge, 2009. Print.

"Maya civilization - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Sept. 2013. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_civilization.

Quinn, Daniel. Ishmael. Bantam trade pbk. ed. New York: Bantam/Turner Book, 1995. Print.

"The Mayans Got IT Done." YouTube. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Sept. 2013. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3odJDGKPPTU.

"Tikal National Park." UNESCO World Heritage Centre. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Sept. 2013. http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/64.

"Tikal - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Sept. 2013. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tikal.

"The Rise and Fall of the Maya Empire” History.com Articles, Video, Pictures and Facts." History.com “History Made Every Day” American & World History. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Sept. 2013. http://www.history.com/topics/maya.

"Secrets of the Maya: Deciphering Tikal | History & Archaeology | Smithsonian Magazine." History, Travel, Arts, Science, People, Places | Smithsonian Magazine. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Sept. 2013. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/tikal.html.