Australian researchers have linked the collapse of an ancient Mayan city to drought. 

Drought may have led to an increase in civil conflict followed by political collapse in Mayapan, the capital of the Maya in the Yucatán Peninsula in the 13th and 14th centuries, according to international and Australian scientists.

In Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, the impacts of rainfall levels on food production may have been closely aligned with human migration, population decline, warfare, and shifts in political power. 

However, it may also have led to instances of resilience, transformation and sustainability in the face of climate pressures. 

The political capital of Mayapan, which existed from the year 1200 to 1450, is particularly well-suited to examine the impact of climate on civil conflict because records of the city also exist in Colonial-Period documentary accounts.

Researchers in Australia, the USA and the UK studied historical documents for records of violence and examined human remains from Mayapan for signs of traumatic injury. 

The authors then compared these instances to indicators of drought conditions. They found that increased rainfall was associated with a population increase in Mayapan, but subsequent decreases in rainfall were associated with conflict. 

The authors suggest that prolonged drought between the year 1400 and 1450 escalated existing societal tensions and eventually led to the city’s abandonment.

The authors argue that, with the collapse of Mayapan, residents migrated to other smaller, successful towns and these adaptations provided regional-scale resiliency, ensuring that Maya political and economic structures endured into the 16th century. 

They conclude that human responses to drought on the Yucatán Peninsula were complex, and serve as an important example as the world navigates future climate change.

The study is accessible here.