Connections between climate change and civil unrest among the ancient Maya | HeritageDaily

An extended period of turmoil in the Maya city of Mayapan in Mexico was marked by population declines, political rivalries and civil conflict.

Between AD 1441 and 1461 the strife reached an unfortunate crescendo — the complete institutional collapse and abandonment of the city. This all occurred during a protracted drought.

According to a new study in the journal Nature Communications, lead author Kennett and collaborators in the fields of archaeology, history, geography and earth science suggest that drought may in fact have stoked the civil conflict that begat violence, which in turn…