Analysis of terminal long count dates from stone monuments in the Maya Lowlands has played a Significant role in characterizing the collapse of polities during the Terminal Classic period. The main focus in this article is based on addressing the idea that a directional abandonment of large political centers occured during the Maya collapse. In the article the authors focus on looking at the spatial and temporal pattern of abandonment of writing on carved monuments as a way of understanding the failure of the Ajaw system (Maya writing) across lowlands instead of focusing specifically on the causes of collapse. Because the end of the monument tradition at dynastically ruled polities in the southern lowlands was followed by a continued
