Reply #103: Discovery supports view Maya civilization "collapsed by endemic warfare" [View All]

[muriel_volestrangler]

Maya 'War Crimes Scene' Uncovered

# Archeologists say bones and other items indicate a massacre that was key to the civilization's fall.

Archeologists excavating the ruined Guatemalan city of Cancuen have stumbled across the remains of what they believe is one of the pivotal events in the collapse of the Maya civilization — the desperate defense of the once-great trading center and the ritual execution of at least 45 members of its royal court.

An enemy as yet unknown not only wiped out the royal dynasty about AD 800, but systematically eliminated religious and cultural artifacts — in effect, killing the city and leaving it abandoned to the elements, according to new research announced Wednesday.
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After the siege of Cancuen, cities in the western Maya lowlands in what is now Guatemala were abandoned, most within 20 to 30 years, the researchers said. The displaced populations moved to the east and north, where they eventually depleted local resources and faded away.
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The new discovery "supports Demarest's view that the Classic Maya civilization collapsed by endemic warfare," said archeologist Heather McKillop of Louisiana State University.

http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-maya17nov17,0,5217592.story?coll=la-home-headlines