As far as the geographical environment of Maya is concerned, the most convincing thing at present is that due to the excessive development of civilization, excessive resource consumption and environmental damage. Coupled with all kinds of disasters, the Maya who lived in the fragile rainforest and used primitive farming techniques could not bear the huge population, and even a war for resources took place, which led to the exile of the Maya.
In addition, the Maya's profound knowledge and culture are only in the hands of a few nobles and priests, and the civilians and slaves who account for the vast majority of the Mayan population are completely illiterate. Noble intellectuals who are pampered and pampered almost can't survive or even disappear soon after their splendor is exhausted.
The Mayan civilization in the late classical period was slightly different in the chichen itza era (it is said that it was influenced by Tortek's invasion), but it was more dynamic. Later successors were unable to maintain the vitality of chichen itza, and the signs were that buildings were no longer built and city life disappeared. /kloc-When the Aztec Empire rose in the 0/4th century, Maya had entered a period of decline.
Reasons for refusal
After such a prosperous period, why did the Mayans decline rapidly in a short time? There are different opinions about the reasons. Although the Maya suddenly decreased in a short time, the reasons for its formation have a long history. The factors leading to the decline of the Mayans are as follows:
1, population explosion
The Mayans lived in a small area and built a smaller living city. In such a small area, the population has multiplied uncontrollably, reaching millions in its heyday. Such a huge group was a huge social burden at that time.
When the carrying capacity collapses, its leaders will inevitably make some decisions, which will lead to large-scale and lightning-fast immigration, and the prosperous Mayan stone city will become an isolated city almost overnight.
2. Lack of food
When the Mayans chose their place of residence, they ignored the production conditions of agriculture. The land is not fertile and is not suitable for growing grain and rice. You can only grow non-staple foods such as sweet potatoes to satisfy your hunger, or eat fruits such as papaya, banana and orange. And the harvest is far from meeting the growing demand of the population.
If the food problem of tens of thousands of people is not solved for a long time, it will inevitably form a crisis for society. Faced with long-term food shortage, it will inevitably lead to social instability. In order to solve this problem fundamentally, policy makers may make a new choice-to open up a new world in the new world. This led to the great migration of Maya and the decline of Mayan residential areas due to empty buildings.
3. Natural disasters
Central America is a place where strong earthquakes have occurred, and there have also been strong earthquakes in the history of this region. Parts of Central America were hit by hurricanes. Historically, the Mayans lived in areas that inevitably suffered from earthquakes and wind disasters.
Frequent natural disasters not only pose a threat to the Maya, but also put the prosperous Maya through a severe test. Its leaders will naturally find ways to get out of trouble. "If you are poor, change it." In the case that we can't get rid of the current predicament, we will naturally consider the retreat. After careful arrangement, the Mayans escaped.
4. External invasion
According to the survey, the Mayans are very kind. They disapprove of human struggle and think that killing people is even more incomprehensible. Even the killing of animals is forbidden, so it is always in a weak position in the communication with neighboring humans.
If foreign enemies invade, the Mayans will inevitably end in failure, and this kind of foreign invasion is always inevitable. When this kind of invasion happens from time to time, the Mayans will inevitably lead to collective migration under the condition of weak and inevitable resistance.
5, the spread of the disease
According to research, during the Mayan prosperity, the residential area was relatively civilized and hygienic, and the medical conditions were higher than those of the surrounding people. However, through the invasion and communication of neighboring humans, all kinds of infectious diseases that existed at that time were spread to Mayan residential areas, which led to the epidemic of infectious diseases.
This not only endangers the health of adults, but also affects the growth of future generations. At that time, in order to avoid the spread of the disease, its leader resolutely decided to leave his residence at that time and move to a new world to start a new life.
Mayan civilization is a modern jungle civilization, distributed in today's southeastern Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Belize. Although in the Neolithic Age, it made great achievements in astronomy, mathematics, agriculture, art and writing.
Mayan civilization, Inca empire and Aztec empire are listed as the three major civilizations in America (Aztec empire and Mayan civilization are located in Central America; The Inca Empire is located in the Andes of South America.
According to the chronology of Central America, Mayan history is divided into pre-classical period, classical period and post-classical period.
The pre-classical period (65438 BC+0500-300 AD) is also called the formative period, during which calendars and characters were invented, monuments and buildings were built.
The classical period was its heyday (from the 4th century to the 9th century), during which the use of characters, the establishment of monuments, the construction of buildings and the exertion of art reached its peak.
In the post-classical period (about 9th century-65438+6th century), Chyi Chin, Ithaca, Smal and other city-states rose in the north, and their cultures gradually declined.
Maya never had a unified and powerful empire like China, Egypt and other civilizations. In its heyday, the Maya region was divided into hundreds of city-states. However, Maya countries traditionally belong to the same cultural circle in terms of language, writing, religious beliefs and customs. /kloc-In the 6th century, the Aztec Empire, the inheritor of Mayan culture, was destroyed by the Spanish Empire.
References:
Baidu encyclopedia Mayan civilization