Widespread drought, uniform collapse?

Looking at all the evidence presented so far in this blog, it appears that drought conditions may well have been experienced throughout the Mayan region. However, as mentioned previously, some anthropologists do suggest that Maya from different areas reacted differently, resulting in uneven collapse.

According to Inomata (2010), the robustness of the northern Maya meant they could adapt to drought better than the southern Maya and so they experienced a more moderate decline.  

Curtis et al. (1996) also state that the collapse of the Maya was most profound in the southern lowlands, including areas of Guatemala, Belize and northern Honduras, and was accompanied by an apparent shift in population northwards into the Yucatan. Although some cities in the northern lowlands appeared to have survived the drought, their populations were also greatly reduced. Curtis et al. (1996) cites Gill (1995), from an unpublished thesis, as suggesting that cities in the northern lowlands might have survived the worst of the collapse because they had easy access to groundwater in the shallow water table. It is said that even if the drought lowered the water table by several metres, many northern Yucatan lakes and cenotes would still have held water. In the southern lowlands, however, Gill (1995) notes that the water table is located far below the ground surface and cities relied on rainwater cisterns, artificial lakes and reservoirs for water. Many of these would have dried up during the drought.

This information provides a general understanding of the spatial impact of drought throughout the Mayan region and a preliminary explanation for this pattern. It seems Maya that inhabited southern areas were harder hit by the conditions due to their reduced accessibilty to water. However, in order to appreciate this better, at each individual site, there is a need for much more detailed site-specific research. In this way, the chronology of collapse, an identification of the magnitude of drought, and the potential impacts of drier conditions could be linked and the population decline further understood.