Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Was the Mayan civilisation wiped out by an extreme drought? Study of Great Blue Hole suggests
UK Daily Mail ^ | December 30, 2014 | Jonathan O'Callaghan

Posted on 12/30/2014 5:54:07 AM PST by C19fan

For hundreds of years the Mayans dominated large parts of the Americas until, mysteriously in the 8th and 9th century AD, a large chunk of the Mayan civilisation collapsed. The reason for this collapse has been hotly debated, but now scientists say they might have an answer - an intense drought that lasted a century. Studies of sediments in the Great Blue Hole in Belize suggest a lack of rains caused the disintegration of the Mayan civilisation, and a second dry spell forced them to relocate elsewhere.

(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...


TOPICS: History
KEYWORDS: archeology; belize; globalwarminghoax; godsgravesglyphs; greatbluehole; maya; mayan; mayans
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-34 next last
My wife is originally from Guatemala. I had the chance to go to the Mayan ruins at Tikal and Copan. The people who ran Tikal built massive reservoirs near the center of the city to capture the rain water during the rainy season.
1 posted on 12/30/2014 5:54:07 AM PST by C19fan
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: C19fan

an intense drought that lasted a century

So it wasn’t the conquistadors after all huh?


2 posted on 12/30/2014 5:58:40 AM PST by rfreedom4u (Do you know who Barry Soetoro is?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: rfreedom4u

What is the called the Classical Period of the Mayans ended way before the Spanish came. The Mayans moved to the Central Highlands in Guatemala and those were the Mayans the Spanish encountered.


3 posted on 12/30/2014 6:00:47 AM PST by C19fan
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: C19fan

Caused by SUVs in Europe at the time, no doubt. #GLOBALCLIMATECHANGE


4 posted on 12/30/2014 6:01:29 AM PST by a fool in paradise (Shickl-Gruber's Big Lie gave us Hussein's Un-Affordable Care act (HUAC).)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: C19fan
The hole formed tens of thousands of years ago when sea levels were much lower, being filled as the oceans began to rise.

If only they had been able to hold on until global warming kicked in...

Went to Cancun some years ago and made the bus trip through the forest to Chichen Itza - enjoyed it.

5 posted on 12/30/2014 6:01:54 AM PST by trebb (Where in the the hell has my country gone?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: C19fan

Yes, yes, yes, but did they save the Delta Smelt???


6 posted on 12/30/2014 6:02:17 AM PST by null and void (The aggregate effect of competitive capitalism is indistinguishable from magic)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: C19fan

Drought?

That means: Global “climate change”.

That means: Bush’s fault!


7 posted on 12/30/2014 6:04:34 AM PST by WayneS (Don't blame me, I voted for Kodos.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: C19fan

I’ve heard a theory that since they tossed the remains of their human sacrifices into the same water they used for drinking, they eventually did themselves in.


8 posted on 12/30/2014 6:04:43 AM PST by NorthstarMom
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: C19fan

The Mayan cities in the areas that stayed wet died out first. The cities in the dried up areas lasted much longer. There was a drought.


9 posted on 12/30/2014 6:05:18 AM PST by arthurus
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: C19fan

But didn’t Cortez meet a few Mayans along the coast when he landed?


10 posted on 12/30/2014 6:09:39 AM PST by SoCal Pubbie
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: C19fan

As a complete amateur, my understanding is that some of the oldest Mayan towns and cities rose in Guatemala and then the Mayan civilization spread into the Yucatan. Places like Tikal and Copan were long past their heyday when cities like Chichen Itza rose to importance. And like you said, the Classic period ended a few centuries before the Spanish showed up. But the article is mistaken to suggest one drought ended the Mayan civilization.


11 posted on 12/30/2014 6:19:07 AM PST by Flag_This (You can't spell "treason" without the "O".)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: SoCal Pubbie

There were and still are Mayans but when the Spanish arrived the great cities were abandoned for a long time.


12 posted on 12/30/2014 6:22:52 AM PST by C19fan
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: Flag_This

I think that is a good point. Tikal was abandoned by 950 AD but Chichen Itza lasted until the 13th century.


13 posted on 12/30/2014 6:24:25 AM PST by C19fan
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: rfreedom4u
So it wasn’t the conquistadors after all huh?

I don't think the conquistadors can be let of the hook, it was the Aztecs they fetched to ruin.

14 posted on 12/30/2014 7:56:22 AM PST by RobinOfKingston (Straight ahead, and don't bunch up.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: null and void

bttt


15 posted on 12/30/2014 8:40:59 AM PST by BenLurkin (This is not a statement of fact. It is either opinion or satire; or both.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: C19fan
What was a mystery to me is how the Mayans, residing on porous limestone table lands managed to become so wealthy. It was totally unsuitable for agriculture, so they would have had to rely on a vibrant trading system to get the foodstuffs required.
16 posted on 12/30/2014 10:19:10 AM PST by Sam Gamgee (May God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won't. - Patton)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Sam Gamgee

They used systems like raised fields and terraces to grow their crops. There is an abundance of fruits and the like from the rainforest too.


17 posted on 12/30/2014 11:57:28 AM PST by C19fan
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

To: C19fan

Interesting. Thanks


18 posted on 12/30/2014 1:47:14 PM PST by Sam Gamgee (May God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won't. - Patton)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

To: NorthstarMom
I’ve heard a theory that since they tossed the remains of their human sacrifices into the same water they used for drinking, they eventually did themselves in.

I assure you they were well aware of what would happen if they did that.

I've been to one of the major sacrificial areas in South America. It was one of my bucket list items that I dreamed about as a child, this of course being in the days when schools taught basic history. Reading about the history there, I could see in my mind the steep sides of the mountain descending down into a hidden caldera filled with dark water. I imagined seeing the rituals, the sacrifices and the buttload of golden treasures dropped into the lake as an offering to their various deities. ;D

In the end, it looked very similar to what I imagined. The actual site was far larger than what I imagined, though. Back then, we didn't have as many photos available so I didn't know what it looked like until I saw it for myself 40 years later.

The site was "El Dorado"...the real one. No, unlike my childhood fantasies of discovering golden treasure, I didn't even consider diving into the dark water...*shiver*


19 posted on 12/31/2014 4:18:05 AM PST by Caipirabob (Communists... Socialists... Democrats...Traitors... Who can tell the difference?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: C19fan
I had the chance to go to the Mayan ruins at Tikal and Copan.

I toured Copan also back around 2003.....pretty cool place

20 posted on 12/31/2014 4:20:06 AM PST by Hot Tabasco (I'm a man of no-color and proud of it.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-34 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson