Mayan People There Are Many Historical Mysteries

Mayan People

There are many historical mysteries which have fascinated human and encouraged investigation. Among the most often examined and theorized over are the potential reasons for why the Mayan civilization suddenly disappeared from the face of the Earth. Scholars, conspiracy theorists, and all manner of investigators have looked into the culture, the people, and the environment in the vain effort to finally determine exactly what happened to this large population. Once one of the largest groups Central and South America, by 900 AD, the Mayans were in a steady rate of decline which led to their eradication by the year 1200 (Ancient 2000). Over the course of three hundred years, an entire civilization of human beings had completely fallen off of the face of the earth and no one was or is yet able to say for certain why this happened. Of course with so much time having passed, it is impossible to prove conclusively which theory is the correct one, if any of the current theories are indeed correct at all. Some of the theories are ridiculous and outlandish, such as one which asserts that there never were any Mayans and that the entire civilization was a construction to induce tourism (Del Sol 2012). One theory is that the climate of their location suddenly changed and the Mayan people were not able to adapt to their environment, another postulates that it is war and violence which forced the population to extinction, and a third theory about the extinction of the Mayans is that the community was a farming population and there could have been a time where crops were destroyed either through weather or some sort of parasitic insect which led to widespread famine and then death.

The theory about climate change does have some historical backing. There are cultures, such as those in the Mesopotamian area, which have been eliminated because of environmental or climate changes within the region (Chella 2005). Human beings survive in various climates because they have been able to adapt over generations to their homeland. When an environment changes quickly, such as because of vast temperature changes either by lowering or rising, chemical composition changes of the environment, or the ability of animals and fish in the environment to sustain life, the lives of human beings can be heavily affected. This can even potentially result in the eradication of an entire population.

Some societies throughout the world have been destroyed and even completely extinguished because of war and violence with other populations. It is possible that the Myans could have been exterminated through failed warfare with other native populations. The Aztec, neighbors of the Mayans, were heavily reduced in number when the Spaniards conquered their lands. Thus, it is possible that foreign invaders may have had interaction with the Mayans and decimated their numbers. When foreign peoples meet who have not had any form of contact before, the results can be detrimental. For example, peoples form one part of the world who have built up immunities because they are constantly exposed to certain bacterium and viruses. The new population will not have these same immunities built up and thus the illnesses will be more destructive on the second group.