Theories About the Decline of Mayan Civilization

Peasant Revolts: Tired of being exploited by the ruling class, commoners may have stopped ________________, forcing cities to be abandoned. Drought: Caused crop failure, famine, disease and death; skeletons from this period show evidence of _________________________ Overpopulation: Mayans may no longer have been able to grow enough food to feed everyone; population _______________________ to find food Invasions: During the 800s, __________________ invaded, influencing Mayan culture and contributing to decline Warfare: Inter-city-state wars grew increasingly violent and less ritualistic; wars fought to expand territory & __________________________ may have been abandoned as others rose to dominate a region peasant revolts: Without peasants in outlying areas growing food for the populations of the cities, large cities could not be sustained; newly emerging evidence of a Maya middle class undercuts this theory a bit as there may have been a fairer distribution of wealth drought: evidence of malnutrition includes skeletal signs of scurvy and rickets; large numbers of deaths could have caused decline overpopulation: abandoned cities in order to find food or population decline after deaths due to starvation/malnutrition led to cities being abandoned warfare: early on the goal of war was to capture opposing leaders who would be sacrificed to the gods and fighting ended once a leader was caught MAY HAVE BEEN A COMBINATION OF FACTORS AS WITH THE DECLINE OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE