Mayan Drought Research Paper

Recent studies have also shown that severe droughts could be the reason for the downfall of the Mayan civilization. In a study conducted by Dr. David Hodell and Dr. Jason Curtis, geologists at the University of Florida, evidence of a serious drought during the time when the Mayans began to fall was found. By analyzing sediments beneath Lake Chichancanab on the Yucatan Peninsula, they were able to call it “"the first unambiguous evidence" for a period of extreme aridity between the years 800 and 1000”(World History in Context). These long lasting droughts would lead to dry soil, which prevented agricultural products from being able to be grown. The Mayans depended solely on rainfall to supply all of their water. So when rainfall became minimal,