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The Mayan Empire-How Did
it End?
Celine Chung, Lynn Chu, Cosette Verna,
Jiho Park, Carlos Vasquez
Social Studies 7-3
Mysterious Fall of the Mayans:
Around the end of the eighth and the beginning of the ninth
century, the Mayan civilization slowly began to collapse. It first
began when the southern area began to decline and soon
demolished. Their fall was very mysterious and to this day, there is
no exact reason besides several theories of how the Mayan
civilization collapsed.
Theory 1- Disaster Theory
● There are many theories as to why the Mayan civilization
declined
● The major theory known around the world is the taking
place of a tragic 200 year drought
o Scientists studied lak beds and other bodies of water to
research this theory
o This led up to a rapid decrease in deforestation, as the
rain did not supply the plants with enough water to
survive
o The Mayans continued to chop down trees for fuel
Theory 2-Warfare Theory
● Discoveries of stone carvings show that Mayans warred
frequently amongst themselves
● City-states like Dos Pilas, Tikal, Copan, and Quirigua
warred with each other frequently.
o Due to warr Dos Pilas was destroyed in 760 A.D.
● The Mayans also had war and military alliance difficulties
Theory 3- Civil Strife
● As
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o
o
o
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population increased more people had to work:
to produce food
to produce the clean water
to build temples
to clear rainforest
to mine obsidian
to mine jade
 Food was becoming scarce at the same time
 Idea of overworked hungry workers rebelled.
Theory 4- Environmental
● The Mayans were dependent on farming, and trade.
● If there was any type of environmental change crops
wouldn’t harvest.
○ During the classic period water would rise and cause
flooding
○ Also, the temperature could rise and cause the
dehydration.
○ This would take down crops and even markets/homes
● The environment around people began to wear out; it
could not handle so many people.
Are The Mayans Still Around Today?
Thankfully, Mayans are still around today
as descendants.
THANK YOU