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The Mystery Behind the End of Mayan Civilization

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The Mystery behind the End of Mayan Civilization
World Cultures I
Mayan Mystery
Civilizations all over, rose to become strong, powerful nations and descended due to many reasons. One civilization in particular, is the Mayans. The Mayan Empire began around 1800 B.C and lasted until around 900 A.D. Located in tropical environments, in what is now known as the Yucatan Peninsula, Guatemala, Belize and parts of México. The Mayan people were known for their advance levels of mathematics, astronomy, and they develop a calendar system based on 365 days that we use in present day. The Mayan people also created many elaborate cities with stoned pyramids that partially remain intact today. How can a great nation, who developed a complex system, and flourish for many centuries, just disappear; leaving many questions unanswered?
What happened to the Mayans?
This is one mystery that has many people asking questions about what happened to a large number of people without wondering if this could ever happen again. Two theories that could explain what happened to the Mayan people are: drought and climate changes lead to the demised of the Mayan culture, and/or warfare from neighboring cities or foreign invaders caused the Mayans to become extinct. Scientist Martin Medina-Elizalde and Eelco Rohling believe that the climate changes affected the rainfall causing droughts. Many others believe that invaders from other countries or cities over powered the Mayans.
Climate changes
If invaders caused the end of Mayan civilization, why is that place still a ghost town? The Mayan people would still exist if it weren’t for climate changes. During the Mayan era, temperatures increased causing precipitation to dwindle. The climate caused a shortage in water and food. The ground had dried up making it difficult for cropping food. The Mayans depended on rain for drinking purposes. With

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