[Aztlan] The fall of the Maya

[michael ruggeri]

Listeros,

NASA scientists have been investigating the fall of the Maya. They  
have concluded that the major reason was drought. A major drought  
occurred at the time of the Maya collapse and the Maya had cut down  
most of their trees in advance of this drought to grow more corn for a  
growing population and for firewood and building. They needed to cut  
down huge amounts of trees to make their lime plaster. Using the  the  
PSU/NCAR mesoscale atmospheric circulation model, known as MM5, and  
the Community Climate System Model, or CCSM, they found a 3-5 degree  
rise in temperature and a 20-30 percent decrease in rainfall at the  
end. Most of this change was due to deforestation.

Not all city-states were pushed over the edge by this drought. But  
civil unrest, war, starvation and disease would have been brought on  
by the drought.

Science at NASA has the story here;
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/06oct_maya.htm

Mike Ruggeri

Mike Ruggeri's Maya World
http://tinyurl.com/ypkq2v

Mike Ruggeri's Maya Archaeology News and Links
http://tinyurl.com/atpsd9