Nature, Culture, and Conservation in the Anthropocene - Biodiversity Conservation and Environmental Change - page 144

Socioecological collapse and reorganization is perhaps most famously illustrated by the
Maya civilization, which shows three cycles of building, collapse, and adaptation. The Maya
civilization lasted from about 1000 bce to about 1500 ce and at its height included the entire
Yucatán Peninsula and adjoining areas of Mexico and Central America (Figure 7.2a) (Dun-
ning et al. 2012). Palaeoecological and archaeological studies have shown that the prosperity
and peace of the Maya civilization was influenced by climate, but the ability to adapt to envir-
onmental change and build socioeconomic resilience was also key; the Maya's longevity and
success may in part be due to skilful management of limited resources (Kennett et al. 2012).
In the Preclassic period (1000 bce-250 ce), Maya society was concentrated in the coastal
lowlands, but gradually these areas became deforested and eroded. In the Terminal PreClas-
sic period, socioenvironmental thresholds were crossed and the coastal lowlands were
largely abandoned, during a period of frequent droughts. In the second century ce, the popu-
lation collapsed by over 90% and moved to higher elevations inland. The elevated, interior
region (Figure 7.2a) thrived during the Classic period (250-900 ce). Here, new technologies
Fig u re 7.2 (a) Maya Lowlands showing the elevated interior region (Dunning et al. 2012). (b) Ancient
city of Tikal, Guatemala, showing Temple, Palace, and Hidden Reservoir chain with location of excava-
tions and ancient arroyo drainage (Scarborough et al. 2012). (c) Hypothetical cross-section from the
Caribbean Sea to the elevated Interior region, with associated natural hazards that vary with altitude
and distance from the coast (Dunning et al. 2012).