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What ancient Mayans taught us about living through droughts

 

The Mayans dealt with similar conditions we're facing today. How did they deal with them? 

Who were the Maya?

    The Maya lived over a thousand years ago and built impressive architecture that surpassed any other civilization of that age. They were advanced in math, astronomy, and cities were profoundly developed. Population density was high. What caused the downfall of such an advanced society? Climate change. Droughts occurring one after another that caused starvation and death. At least that's what's been thought for decades. But is it true? 

Lifestyle

     The Maya lived through five droughts, and not only did they survive, they continued to grow. However the last two droughts proved difficult to live through. Vulnerability had increased from previous droughts, and resistance had decreased. As stated above, the Maya also had a great population, perhaps too much so. To support their size, they cut down and used many trees as well as channeled gallons of water from reservoirs. Placing many farms in wetland areas, they exploited much of their preserved water, not leaving much for dryer seasons. 

    Additionally, cutting down trees unknowingly damaged their own agricultural system. It halted the traditional cycle in which forest tree canopies would catch the natural nutrient phosphorous, and restore it back to the soil. This in turn caused temperatures to surge. Removing the amount of trees they did caused increased dryness in an already dry environment.

Diet 

    It was originally believed that Mayans mostly relied on drought - sensitive foods to feed their population, such as beans, squash, and corn. When drought hit and these foods weren't widely available anymore, they starved. But, new evidence suggests the opposite.
The Maya had almost 500 different plants for food, and most of them were drought resistant. Even if the most serious weather patterns had occurred (keep in mind there's no evidence of this happening), then 59 types of plants would still have survived, providing more than enough food. Examples include cassava and chaya, which together provide a great amount of carbohydrates and protein. 

Diet = drought resistance?

    The Maya took advantage of the wide variety of plants available to them. Droughts eradicated many, but not all food sources. Because they had a huge diet consisting of a variety of foods, they could still make do when some of their food was eradicated. Therefore, they were able to withstand most of the droughts that came their way. 

How this relates to us 

    As droughts become more common in today's world, it is important to note what the Maya did to withstand them. Keeping a wide diet allowed for continued survival. Humans today can learn quite a bit from their actions. For one, growing a wide variety of drought resistant crops ensures that we won't be low on food. Additionally, saving paper when possible and converting to online versions of paper materials can slow down the destruction of forests. This will, in turn, slow down the rate of climate change, and lessen the impact of drought on the human population. As we move towards an uncertain future, it is important to adapt and survive as deems fit. 

Downfall 

 If not for drought, how did the Maya civilization actually collapse? Scientists say it's complicated. There's no one answer, like drought or food shortage. An increased vulnerability from previous droughts definitely was one reason. Along with that, environmental effects resulting from agricultural exploitation, and economic and social upheaval went into play as well. 






Sources:

University of California - Riverside. (2022, January 5). Ancient Maya lessons on surviving drought: Huge variety of plant foods made their starvation unlikely. ScienceDaily. Retrieved January 16, 2022 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/01/220105094535.htm

Simon, C. (2020, February 28). New clues about how and why the maya culture collapsed. Harvard Gazette. Retrieved January 17, 2022, from https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2020/02/new-clues-about-how-and-why-the-maya-culture-collapsed/

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