New research challenges the idea that populations grew too fast and agriculture was scaled up too quickly.

Suddenly they were gone: the Mayans. In the year 950 this once mighty empire disappeared at a rapid pace. But what exactly led to their demise remains a mystery to this day. It is often said that they threw in their own glasses. “The story goes like this,” researcher Andrew Scherer begins. “The population grew too large, agriculture scaled up, and then everything collapsed.” But a new study now suggests that’s probably not the whole story.

The Maya civilization is broadly divided into four main periods: the preclassical period (2000 BC – 250 AD) marks the beginning, in which the culture slowly developed. This was followed by the Classical period (AD 250 – 800). This was the height of the Maya, in which the construction of monumental architecture, intellectual and artistic development and growth of cities prevailed. Following was the terminal classical period (AD 800 – 1000), in which some problems already surfaced. Finally, we recognize the post-classical period (1000 – 1539 AD), the end of the Mayan era.

For years, experts in climate science and ecology have put forward the agricultural practices of the ancient Maya as the prime example of what not to do. “The Maya have been portrayed as people engaged in uncontrolled agricultural development,” Scherer said. Many believe that everything fell apart because the population grew too fast and agriculture was scaled up too quickly. But a new study now shows that some Mayan kingdoms had long-standing sustainable farming practices and high food yields as a result.

Underexposed region

When the researchers began their study, their goal wasn’t necessarily to disprove long-held assumptions about Mayan farming practices. Instead, they wanted to learn more about the infrastructure of a relatively underexposed region. While some parts of the western Maya area have been well studied – think of the well-known ancient Mayan city of Palenque – we know relatively little about other areas. That’s because the dense tropical canopy has hidden traces of ancient communities from view for a long time. For example, it wasn’t until 2019 that Scherer and his team discovered the kingdom of Sak tz’i, which archaeologists had been trying to find for decades.

Agricultural intensification

Using drones and laser pulses, the team mapped a rectangular tract of land connecting three Mayan kingdoms – Piedras Negras, La Mar and Sak tz’i. And it leads to a surprising discovery. In all three kingdoms, the researchers found traces of what the researchers call “agricultural intensification”; land adjustments to increase the volume of crop yield.

These images provide evidence of extensive irrigation channels in the region. The dark ground on the left shows the remains of an old canal. Image: Brown University

Among other things, the researchers discovered extensive irrigation systems and terraces built inside and outside the cities. This suggests that the kingdoms were not only prepared for population growth, but probably also had annual food surpluses.

Strategic thinking

It means that the Maya built terraces and entire water systems, complete with dams and canalized fields. And that points to advanced agriculture. “What we found in this study indicates that the Maya who lived in this area thought strategically,” Scherer says. “We found evidence of long-lasting agricultural infrastructure in an area with a relatively low population density. This suggests that they weren’t digging up some more fields towards the end as a last-ditch effort to increase yields. They were thinking a few steps ahead.”

Inspiration

Perhaps the farming practices of the Maya – who may not have been so lousy after all – can serve as inspiration for the modern agricultural industry, which is looking for sustainable ways to grow food for an ever-growing world population. “Today, former Maya areas are being converted into farmland for livestock and palm oil plantations,” Scherer said. “But in the regions where maize and other crops are still grown, it is sometimes possible to harvest three times a year. It may well be that these high yields are partly due to the canalization and other adjustments that the ancient Maya made to the landscape.”

The researcher hopes the study will provide a more nuanced picture of the Maya civilization. “In conversations about today’s climate crisis, the Maya are often brought up as a warning: ‘They screwed up and we don’t want to repeat that mistake,’” Scherer says. “But our research shows that they may have known advanced farming practices. The Maya may have been much more advanced than we thought.”