Ancient Remains Shed Light on Maya Transition
Archaeologists in Mexico have made a remarkable discovery – the ruins of the ancient Maya civilization dating back an astonishing 7,000 years. This finding offers a unique glimpse into the enigmatic daily lives of this enigmatic people.
According to experts, the age of the unearthed skeletal remains corresponds to a pivotal period when humans transitioned from hunter-gatherers to a sedentary lifestyle.
The Puyil Cave Excavation
In the Tacotalpa municipality of Tabasco state, located in southern Mexico, archaeologists uncovered three Maya skeletons within the depths of the Puyil cave. One of the skeletons is estimated to be a staggering 7,000 years old, while the remaining two date back approximately 4,000 years.
Archaeologist Alberto Martos explained the significance of this discovery:
“Seven thousand years old is what we’ve just placed it, which is the period of transition from being hunters to sedentarism. There were different groups during this time that used the caves, clearly it wasn’t a domestic cave.”
He further elaborated:
“In prehistoric times it was probably used for rituals and cemeteries so as to dispose of remains of people. For the Maya, it was a cave of ancestors. This cave was used by the Maya, they respected the remains that were already there and left their own remains inside.”
The Downfall of a Mighty Civilization
Earlier this month, scientists proposed a theory that an enormous drought sweeping across Mexico around 1,000 years ago may have triggered the demise of the Maya civilization. Researchers studying the climate during the time of the ancient Maya found that rainfall decreased by up to 70 percent during the period when the region’s city-states were abandoned.
Nick Evans, a Ph.D. student at the University of Cambridge, was part of an international research team that calculated the conditions on the Yucatan Peninsula at the time of the Maya’s decline using sediment samples from a local lake. He stated:
“The role of climate change in the collapse of Classic Maya civilization is somewhat controversial, partly because previous records are limited to qualitative reconstructions, for example, whether conditions were wetter or drier. Our study represents a substantial advance as it provides statistically robust estimates of rainfall and humidity levels during the Maya downfall.”
The Legacy of the Maya
The Maya civilization was renowned for its hieroglyphic script – the only fully developed writing system in the pre-Columbian Americas. As one of the most dominant civilizations in Mesoamerica, they built elaborate ceremonial cities with massive stone pyramids across large parts of Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador.
They also made significant advancements in agriculture, calendar-making, and mathematics, reaching their peak around the sixth century AD. It is believed that the Maya invented the concept of ‘zero,’ enabling them to perform complex calculations and create detailed and accurate calendars.
However, by 900 AD, their stone cities lay abandoned, leaving much mystery surrounding the reasons for their demise. In addition to the drought theory, other hypotheses include overpopulation, military conflict, or a major environmental event.
