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TheCollapseoftheMayaTheMayansocietyofCentralAmerica(2000B.C-A.D1500),likeotherancientstates,wascharacterizedbypopulationsunprecedentedbothintheirsizeanddensity.ItwasnotjustthenumberofpeoplethatlivedintheMayancity-statesbutalsotherelativelysmallareaintowhichtheywereconcentrated.Tosupportsuchpopulations,societiesdevelopedvariousintensiveagriculturalincludinglarge-scaleirrigationandhill-slope(thecuttingofhorizontalridgesintohillsidessotheycanbefarmed).Theseweredesignedbothtoincreaseyieldsfromagivenareaandtoincreasetheabsoluteamountoflandundercultivation.Thesestrategieswereinessenceverysuccessful:theymadeitpossibletofeedlargerpopulationsthaneverbeforeandsupportedthegrowthofcites.Buttheyalsoplacedconsiderablestrainsontheenvironmentandrendereditincreasinglyfragileandvulnerabletounexpectedclimaticevents,andeventoshort-termfluctuations.Thus,theargumentisthatbecauseoftheirsizeandevermoreintensiveagriculture,theMayanandotherancientstatesocietieswerefundamentallyunsustainable.ClaimsaboutenvironmentdegradationanddisasterhavefiguredprominentlyindiscussionofthecollapseoftheMayancity-statesoftheCentralAmericanlowlands.WhentwoexplorerscameupontheMayancitiesinthe1830s,theywerestruckbythesightoftallpyramidsandelaboratelycarvedstonesamongluxuriantforestgrowth.Herewasthearchetypalpictureofagreatlostcivilization:abandonedcitiessubmergedinvegetation.Theoriesofcatastrophiccollapseorapocalypticoverthrowcamenaturallytomindtoexplainthesedramaticscenes.RecentstudiesoftheMayancollapse(beginningaroundA.D900)haveemphasizedthegradualandprogressivenatureoftheprocess,beginningintheearliestintheSouthandadvancingnorthward.Itwasnotasingle,suddenevent,ashadoncebeenthought.Warfareandsocialunrestarethoughttohaveplayedapart,butthesemaywellhavearisenthroughpressurefromothercauses.TheMayancitieshad,afterall,flourishedforover500yearsandhadfrequentlybeenatwarwitheachother.Butwhataboutthepossibilityoffoodshortages?Thesecouldhavecomeaboutthrougheithernaturalorhumanlyinducedchangesintheenvironment.IncreasinglyfiercecompetitionbetweenMayancitiesledtoanupsurgeofmonumentconstructionduringtheeighthandninthcenturiesA.D,whichwouldhaveplacedaddedstrainonagriculturalproductionandexpansion.InterstaterivalrymayhencehavepushedtheMayatowardoverexploitationoftheirfragileecosystem.DeforestationandsoilerosionmightultimatelyhavedestroyedthecapacityofthelandtosupportthehighpopulationlevelsoftheMayancities,leadingtofamine,socialunrest,andthecollapseofthemajorMayancenters.Yetitmaybeincorrecttolaytheblameentirelyonhumanaction.Severalofthelowlandcities,suchasTikal,appeartohavedependedheavilyonthecultivationofraisedfieldssetinthemarshydepressionsknownasbajos,whichtodayfloodintermittentlyintherainyseasonbutmayoriginallyhavebeenpermanentlakes.Theraise-fieldsystemofintensivecultivation(createdbydiggingsurroundingcanalsandusingthesoilremovedtoelevatethefieldsforplanting)allowsyear-roundfoodproductionthroughtheconstantsupplyofsoilnutrientsthaterodeintothedrainageditchesdugaroundtheraisedfields,nutrientsthatarethencollectedandreplaced.Stablewaterlevelswereessentialtothissubsistencesystem,butevidencefromLakeChichancanabinYucatanshowsthatbetweenA.D800andA.D1000thisregionsuffereditsdriestperiodofclimateinseveralthousandyears.Wemayexpectthatasaresultwaterlevelfell,andtheraisedfieldsinmanyareasbecameunusable.Butthehumanresponsemustbeviewedthroughthelensofthesocial,political,andculturalcircumstances.TheseexertedapowerfulmediatingeffectonthewaytheMayaendeavoredtocopewiththeirdifficulties.Hadpopulationlevelsbeenlower,theimpactofthedroughtmaynothavebeencatastrophic,asitwas,theMayawerealreadyreachingthelimitsoftheavailablesubsistencecapacity,andMayaneliteshadespousedcertainsocialandpoliticalagendas(includingexpensivewarfareandcompetitionwitheachother).Itwasagainstthisspecificbackgroundthataperiodofdroughtledquicklytocrisisandcollapse.Paragraph1TheMayansocietyofCentralAmerica(2000B.C-A.D1500),likeotherancientstates,wascharacterizedbypopulationsunprecedentedbothintheirsizeanddensity.ItwasnotjustthenumberofpeoplethatlivedintheMayancity-statesbutalsotherelativelysmallareaintowhichtheywereconcentrated.Tosupportsuchpopulations,societiesdevelopedvariousintensiveagriculturalincludinglarge-scaleirrigationandhill-slope(thecuttingofhorizontalridgesintohillsidessotheycanbefarmed).Theseweredesignedbothtoincreaseyieldsfromagivenareaandtoincreasetheabsoluteamountoflandundercultivation.Thesestrategieswereinessenceverysuccessful:theymadeitpossibletofeedlargerpopulationsthaneverbeforeandsupportedthegrowthofcites.Buttheyalsoplacedconsiderablestrainsontheenvironmentandrendereditincreasinglyfragileandvulnerabletounexpectedclimaticevents,andeventoshort-termfluctuations.Thus,theargumentisthatbecauseoftheirsizeandevermoreintensiveagriculture,theMayanandotherancientstatesocietieswerefundamentallyunsustainable.1.Accordingtoparagraph1,ancientsocietiesincreasedtheiragriculturaloutputbyA.increasingthepercentageofthepopulationthatworkedasfarmersB.creatinglargeirrigationsystemsC.beinghighlyselectiveofthefieldstheywouldfa