The ancient Maya grew a plant that is resistant to water shortages. Credit: Maari
A new study casts doubt on the theory that the collapse of the ancient Maya civilization was caused by a lack of water.
The Maya cities of northern Central America and southeastern Mexico experienced a series of droughts at the end of the ninth century. Some scholars think that the Maya were dependent on corn, beans, and squash for their sustenance.
A new analysis by Scott Fedick and Louis Santiago shows that the Maya have over 500 plants that are highly resistant to the weather. The results of this analysis have been published.
Santiago said that 59 species of plants would have persisted even in the most extreme situation.
The Maya would have turned to some of the toughest plants, including the heart of palm. Chaya, a shrub that was domesticated by the Maya, is eaten today by their descendants. Its leaves are high in several vitamins and minerals.
Santiago said that the combined amount of calories would have been huge.
A Maya mask. Credit: Wolfgang.
Fedick was unable to find a master list of indigenous Maya food plants, so he compiled and published one that draws on decades of Maya plant knowledge. He and Santiago decided to look at all the plants on the list for tolerance to the dry spell.
Fedick said that when a plant is studied for resistance to the weather, it's usually a specific plant. We looked at the diet of an entire civilization, which was one of the reasons this project was so challenging. It was a unique endeavor.
The researchers don't know why ancient Maya society broke down, but they think social and economic upheaval played a role.
The overly simplistic explanation of the cause of agricultural collapse is probably not true, according to Fedick.
The research shows the importance of exploiting plants to survive.
Santiago said that maintaining a diversity of resilient crops would enable people to adapt and survive.
Scott L. Fedick and his colleagues studied the availability of Maya food plant sources during ancient droughts. There is a book titled "10.1073/pnas.2115657118".
The National Academy of Sciences has a journal.
The research shows ancient Maya lessons on surviving a dry spell.
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