The period between 800 and 900 CE in Mesoamerica

The period between 800 and 900 CE in Mesoamerica saw one of the most dramatic collapses of a civilization in the history of the world. Within this century, the once-flourishing Maya Civilization collapsed into permanent oblivion. The cities of the empire were abandoned and left in ruins. In most cases, they were reclaimed by the jungle and disappeared from human memory for many years to follow. The collapse of the Mayan civilization has been attributed to several reasons, including the disregard of the rulers to their subjects’ welfare and the resources at their disposal. Maya was also known for the unproductive wars, extravagance in their building projects, over-exploitation of available natural resources, as well as an increasing population. However, the collapse of the Maya Empire can be primarily be associated with three main factors: warfare, overpopulation, and drought. Of the three, war seemed to have the most devastating impact on the Maya civilization.

Warfare had a significant part in the Maya Empire for centuries. While initially, it was not intense, and on a large scale, it grew in intensity prior to the collapse of the empire. The increased warfare led to the building of fortifications. Initially, warfare in Maya was not extensively damaging as it was towards the Last Classic period. More territory was damaged, and more people were taken captives. Besides the inter-city wars in Maya, the empire also faced threats from outsiders. With the growing threats, people were forced to abandon the cities of the Maya population.

Evidence that Maya collapsed as a result of the increased warfare is the large number of arrowheads found at certain sites. Besides, the theory of the foreign threats is justified by the archeological finding in Ceibal, where a figure called the Wat’ul was discovered. The figure did not have a Mayan moustache or hairstyle but wore a Mayan costume.