Classic Maya collapse
Maya civilization
People · Languages · Society
Religion · Mythology · Human sacrifice
Architecture · Calendar
Textiles · Trade
Pre-Columbian Music · Writing
History
Classic Maya collapse
Spanish conquest of Yucatán
The Classic Maya Collapse refers to the de-
cline and abandonment of the Classic Period
Maya cities of the southern Maya lowlands of
Mesoamerica between the 8th and 9th cen-
turies. The Classic Period of Mesoamerican
chronology is generally defined as the period
from 300 to 900 A.D., the last 100 years of
which, from 800 A.D. to 900 A.D., are fre-
quently referred to as the Terminal Classic.[1]
The Classic Maya Collapse is one of the
biggest mysteries
in archaeology. What
makes the Classic Maya collapse so in-
triguing is the profound heights reached cul-
turally by the Classic Maya before the col-
lapse; and the relative suddenness of the col-
lapse itself.
The highly-advanced Maya centers of the
southern lowlands went into decline during
the 8th and 9th centuries and were aban-
doned shortly thereafter. Archaeologically,
this decline is indicated by the cessation of
monumental inscriptions and the reduction of
large-scale architectural construction.
Some eighty-eight different theories or
variations of theories attempting to explain
the Classic Maya Collapse have been identi-
fied.[2] There is no universally accepted the-
ory, though the drought theory is now gain-
ing momentum as the leading explanation.[3]
Foreign invasion
The archaeological evidence of the Toltec in-
trusion into Yucatán in Seibal, Peten sug-
gests to some the theory of foreign invasion.
The latest hypothesis states that the southern
lowlands were invaded by a non-Maya group
whose homelands were probably in the gulf
coast lowlands. This invasion began in 9th
century A.D and set off, within 100 years, a
group of events that destroyed the Classic
Maya. It is believed that this invasion was
somehow influenced by the Toltec people of
central Mexico. However, most Mayanists do
not believe that foreign invasion was