The Mayan Civilization Research Paper

The Mayan civilization was one of the most advanced Mesoamerican civilizations. This civilization lasted for approximately 3,000 years and inhabited a vast region that is now modern day Guatemala and the Yucatan peninsula. Their flowering culture left many interesting innovations in which they describe a view of the future, our present. Their civilization seemed to grow more over the time until it suddenly started to vanish. There are many conclusions as to why the civilization eventually came to an end. However, environmental issues were undoubtedly one of the reasons why this civilization suffered an instant decline. The early Mayan civilization began around 1800 B.C. This world historic civilization is known for its skills in pottery, the massive structures left behind, their famous calendar, and, of course, the human sacrifices cannot be left out. The Mayan culture has created some of the most remarkable …show more content…
This drought lead the Mayans to have a shortage in food in all aspects. The fauna was dying off and their crops were not growing as well. The arable land and the resources of water became extremely scare. Although it is believed that every city inhabited by the Mayans suffered drought, Mark Cartwright brings to light on his article that most cities suffered severe drought however, some rivers never dried off completely. For example, the city-state of Tikal had arable land blessed with fertile soil and the presence of Lake Petén. Lake Petén is one of the rivers that appears to not have suffered from a lack of water. Moreover, even if the entire civilization was not suffering from drought, they were all affected by it. The scarcity of water lead everyone to move towards the rivers and caused others to experience the drought. That could have eventually created chaos that turned into fights of survival among the Mayans from different