>>> [EMAIL PROTECTED] 06/29/01 12:06PM >>>
At 11:21 AM 6/29/01 -0400, you wrote:>As for why the Mayan civilisation
collapsed, both in Peruvian antiquity and the Classic period (9th C AD), I
can tell you right now: it collapsed because of a series of intense El Nino
events which altered the climate, caused rainfall and flooding and washed
its agriculture away. There is now conclusive evdience from the climatic
record about this. No doubt there was
a Malthusian crisis involved because of over-exploitation of farming,
population pressure etc, but it's basically the climate.<
-clip-
There must have been something profoundly wrong with Mayan civilization
(and its agricultural/water system) if a mere climate change -- an external
shock -- led to its utter collapse. But some people on pen-l seem to have
been portraying Mayan civilization as lacking any internal contradictions
(unlike other class systems, it seems -- or didn't the Mayan system have
classes?).
(((((((((
CB: I agree with Jim's direction. To say it was "climate" is extreme environmental
determinism. There were many civilizations in close geographical proximity with the
Mayan civilization at the same time that did not "collapse" at the same time.
