Lowland Mesoamerica

Climatological evidence from cave stalagmites reveals that the flourishing Classic Maya civilization, which thrived between AD 300 and the tenth century, was significantly impacted by a series of drought cycles. These environmental shifts, combined with social disorder and warfare, led to the collapse of southern Maya city-states such as Tikal, Uaxactún, Calakmul, Palenque, and Copán. The study also highlights how the Maya civilization evolved from its roots in the Olmec tradition along the Gulf of Mexico Coast and Yucatán, developing complex institutions like kingship and written glyphs by AD 300. Following the collapse, the political center shifted northward to the Yucatán Peninsula, where it persisted until the Spanish arrival in the fifteenth century.

Fagan, B. M., & Durrani, N. (2019). Lowland Mesoamerica. World Prehistory, 371–400. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429430381-17