For this week you have two reading assignments. Read Chapter 12 Lowland MesoAmerica in your text and Chapter 13 in the book Elixir.
The Mayans especially harnessed water resources to store water for times of shortage as well as using intricate canals for growing crops. But water had a more important role in Mayan symbology and ritual than just to grow crops.
Your assignment for the week is to talk about how the
The Maya people are a group of Mesoamericans who are indigenous to parts of Mexico, Belize, Honduras, and other parts of Central America. They first developed their civilization during 2000 B.C. to 300 A.D., also known as the Preclassic period. During this time Mayas lived in small villages and focused on cultivating certain …show more content…
the Maya civilization reached its peak and slowly began to decline towards the end of the 8th century, with the collapse of the Classic Maya occurring during the 9th century. Many researchers believe that this collapse was caused by a various number of factors – some ecological, some political, and some social. The elite became increasingly involved in warfare and competition arose between regions. This put a great stress on the people for food and labor projects. On top of this populations were continuing to increase, putting even more stress on the importance of agriculture. Many parts of the lowlands were covered in terrace and raised field systems. While these large field systems were necessary to provide for the vast population, they also played a role in the collapse of Maya civilization. These areas could be greatly affected by any type of climate change, erosion, vegetation disease, and decrease in soil fertility. For these types of systems to function efficiently they would need to be constantly managed and monitored, which may not have been implemented by the Maya. Agriculture productivity decreased and diseases may have reached epidemic proportions. This lethal combination caused populations to plummet, making recovery impossible. While there is some evidence to support these theories, the evidence is
The Mayans especially harnessed water resources to store water for times of shortage as well as using intricate canals for growing crops. But water had a more important role in Mayan symbology and ritual than just to grow crops.
Your assignment for the week is to talk about how the
The Maya people are a group of Mesoamericans who are indigenous to parts of Mexico, Belize, Honduras, and other parts of Central America. They first developed their civilization during 2000 B.C. to 300 A.D., also known as the Preclassic period. During this time Mayas lived in small villages and focused on cultivating certain …show more content…
the Maya civilization reached its peak and slowly began to decline towards the end of the 8th century, with the collapse of the Classic Maya occurring during the 9th century. Many researchers believe that this collapse was caused by a various number of factors – some ecological, some political, and some social. The elite became increasingly involved in warfare and competition arose between regions. This put a great stress on the people for food and labor projects. On top of this populations were continuing to increase, putting even more stress on the importance of agriculture. Many parts of the lowlands were covered in terrace and raised field systems. While these large field systems were necessary to provide for the vast population, they also played a role in the collapse of Maya civilization. These areas could be greatly affected by any type of climate change, erosion, vegetation disease, and decrease in soil fertility. For these types of systems to function efficiently they would need to be constantly managed and monitored, which may not have been implemented by the Maya. Agriculture productivity decreased and diseases may have reached epidemic proportions. This lethal combination caused populations to plummet, making recovery impossible. While there is some evidence to support these theories, the evidence is