The Demise Of The Mayan Civilization

Listen up, Earthlings!

The ancient Mayan people once lived in the area of the Yucatan Peninsula and modern-day Guatemala. The disappearance of their entire civilization has been a topic pursued by many scholars. Author Ambika Choudhary Mahadjan writes about new research that links the Mayan disappearance to severe drought.

The Blue Hole, Belize - Photo credit Belize.com

Excerpts from the article:

    Findings of a new study now suggest that the ancient race might have been wiped out due to a century old drought. The proof of this new explanation, believe the researchers, might be hidden in an underwater cave in Belize.

    Minerals taken from a famous underwater cave in Belize, known as the Blue Hole, and from adjoining lagoons now confirm that the area was hit by a severe drought between 800 AD and 1,000 AD. After the drought ended and normal conditions returned, these people moved northwards only to disappear again after a few centuries. The sediments found from the Blue Hole now confirm that the final disappearance occurred at the same time as the other dry spell.

    Though this is not the first time that the demise of this civilization has been linked to a drought, there is now concrete evidence pointing in this direction for the first time. That’s because the data come from several spots in a region central to the Mayan heartland, said study co-author André Droxler, an Earth scientist at Rice University.

    Though it is still too early to confirm that the unduly long dry spell over the region was indeed responsible for wiping off one of the most intelligent races in the history of mankind, there is strong evidence pointing in that direction for the first time.


Read the full article here: http://thewestsidestory.net/2014/12/29/26013/underwater-cave-called-blue-hole-belize-unravels-mystery-behind-mayan-disappearance/