Discovery Board
Mystery Half solved AD 850

Did drought bring down the Classic Maya cities (about 750 to 910)?

Between about 750 and 909, the southern lowland Maya cities stopped raising dated monuments one after another; Tonina's of 909 is the last. Lake sediments, a Belize stalagmite (Yok Balum) and Caribbean sea-floor mud (Cariaco) show a drier era, and drought is the leading explanation (Haug 2003, Kennett 2012). Our question: does the timing of each city's last monument line up with particular dry spells?

How it connects