Huge cities across Mesoamerica, once home to thriving societies that had prospered for thousands of years, have now been abandoned and swallowed up by the jungle. The reason for the collapses of these pre-Columbian societies that managed to build magnificent temples and massive stone structures, without the use of metal tools and the wheel, are still unknown. A variety of theories exist, some with more evidence supporting them than others and many of which are controversial.
So what is this blog about? Well, I am going to be delving into the mysteries of the collapses of the Maya (Classic Period), Aztecs and Toltecs that flourished in the Post-Classic Period, through evaluating various theories. These range from crop failures, changes in climate and deforestation to more societal and political factors like warfare and invasion. But the key aims are to really see whether environmental change played an influence in their demise and if the collapses are linked in any way.
You may also be wondering why it is important to know about the reasons underlying their respective demises. Evidently, some societies today are more fragile in some areas than others; the only way we can really understand why is to look into past collapses and hope we can learn from their mistakes. I hope to review all of this in further detail during my later posts. My next blog will be a short introduction into Mesoamerica and some of its greatest civilizations...enjoy!
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