Around A.D. 900 (see chronology) the great classic cities of the Southern Lowlands such as Tikal, Uaxactún, Copán, Quiriguá, Palenque and Toniná (see map) were abandoned. This historical event was called by archaeologists the "decline of Maya civilization". The cities of the Northern Lowlands who reached their peak at that time such as Uxmal, Sayil and Kabah fell shortly after. The cities that were built afterwards like Chichén Itza are the result of contact between the Toltec civilization from Central Mexico and the local Maya populations. Why did the Maya abandon their magnificent cities? In spite of numerous studies, the abandonment of classic Maya cities remains a mystery. However, different explanations are offerd by archaeologists. We propose a brief overview of current knowledge and various theories.

Some theories suggest an ecological disaster as the main cause for the abandonment of the cities. We know that the large Maya cities depended upon an intensive agriculture to meet the needs of their population. The farmers could meet their own needs by cultivating with a slash-and-burn method as it is still practiced today. But a city involves a population with other occupations than food production such as merchants, artists and rulers. A domestic agriculture is thus insufficient to meet the needs of an urban population. Tikal had an estimated population of 50,000 at its peak.

Slash-and-burn agriculture.

It was thus necessary to develop other agricultural systems to maximize production. Archaeologists have discovered the remains of agricultural terraces in the mountainous regions and raised fields in the swampy regions which show that agricultural production was intensive and diversified. What all agricultural systems have in common is that they require a fertile land and a water supply. According to some, the intensification of agriculture caused soil exhaustion. In fact, we know that the soil is thin and fragile even if the vegetation is abundant. This problem would have been progressive because soils would not have been exhausted simultaneously. According to others, a drought destroyed the harvests. We know for a fact that at the end of the Classic period there was a serious drought. This problem would have been disastrous because water sources are small and few. If the cities depended on a large agricultural production, a decrease in this production would have caused their abandonment by the residents who could not provide for their own needs in food. What is left to know is if the abandonment of the cities was progressive or drastic. We can imagine a progressive migration of residents or a famine killing thousands.

Other theories suggest a social disaster as the main explanation for the abandonment of the cities. We know that the cities were governed by an elite and particularly a ruler considered by the population as a symbol of the divine and an essential element to uphold the cosmic order. Although the farmers knew well the agrarian calendar, they depended on the elite to perform the necessary ceremonies. The power of the elite thus rested on the belief that only it had the ability to communicate with the gods and intervene to maintain the established order. The importrance of the elite is seen in all the monuments that the population built for its needs and in its honor.

Ruined monuments at Tikal.

At the end of the Classic period we notice an unprecedented increase in construction followed by a complete stop corresponding to the abandonment of the cities. Many monuments among which temples and stelas show signs of burning and vandalism. According to some, there was a revolt of the population against the elite. The elite would have then fled the cities which would have been reoccupied by part of the population. In fact, we know that the cities were inhabited some time after their decline and remained places of worship for a long time. Acording to others, the abandonment of the cities was done in a peaceful way and the destruction of the monuments was ritual. The population would have ceased to accomodate the elite who would have been forced to put an end to its reign and leave the cities in search of another subsistence. We know according to burials that burning and breaking objects was a ritual marking an end. But why did the population abandon its elite? It is suggested that the degradation of the established order (increase of war, decrease of trade, decline of agriculture) could not be remedied by ceremonies and the population lost faith in its rulers.

Other theories involve the expansion of the Toltec civilization. At the end of the Classic period, we notice a growing Toltec influence in Maya art and architecture as well as a growth of the cities of the Northern Lowlands. According to some, a decisive factor in the decline of southern cities is the intrusion of new ideas contributing to destabilize the socio-political order. According to others, it is the change of trade routes that became maritime thus favoring the northern cities.