Nature Communications (Jul 2022)
Drought-Induced Civil Conflict Among the Ancient Maya
- Douglas J. Kennett,
- Marilyn Masson,
- Carlos Peraza Lope,
- Stanley Serafin,
- Richard J. George,
- Tom C. Spencer,
- Julie A. Hoggarth,
- Brendan J. Culleton,
- Thomas K. Harper,
- Keith M. Prufer,
- Susan Milbrath,
- Bradley W. Russell,
- Eunice Uc González,
- Weston C. McCool,
- Valorie V. Aquino,
- Elizabeth H. Paris,
- Jason H. Curtis,
- Norbert Marwan,
- Mingua Zhang,
- Yemane Asmerom,
- Victor J. Polyak,
- Stacy A. Carolin,
- Daniel H. James,
- Andrew J. Mason,
- Gideon M. Henderson,
- Mark Brenner,
- James U. L. Baldini,
- Sebastian F. M. Breitenbach,
- David A. Hodell
Affiliations
- Douglas J. Kennett
- Department of Anthropology, University of California
- Marilyn Masson
- Department of Anthropology, The University of Albany-SUNY
- Carlos Peraza Lope
- Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia – Centro INAH Yucatán
- Stanley Serafin
- School of Medical Sciences and Earth and Sustainability Science Research Centre, University of New South Wales
- Richard J. George
- Department of Anthropology, University of California
- Tom C. Spencer
- Godwin Laboratory for Palaeoclimate Research, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge
- Julie A. Hoggarth
- Department of Anthropology & Institute of Archaeology, Baylor University
- Brendan J. Culleton
- Institutes of Energy and the Environment, The Pennsylvania State University
- Thomas K. Harper
- Department of Anthropology, The Pennsylvania State University
- Keith M. Prufer
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico
- Susan Milbrath
- Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida
- Bradley W. Russell
- Department of Anthropology, The University of Albany-SUNY
- Eunice Uc González
- Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia – Centro INAH Yucatán
- Weston C. McCool
- Department of Anthropology, University of Utah
- Valorie V. Aquino
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico
- Elizabeth H. Paris
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary
- Jason H. Curtis
- Department of Geological Sciences, Land Use and Environmental Change Institute, University of Florida
- Norbert Marwan
- Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Member of the Leibniz Association
- Mingua Zhang
- Stony Brook University
- Yemane Asmerom
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of New Mexico
- Victor J. Polyak
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of New Mexico
- Stacy A. Carolin
- Godwin Laboratory for Palaeoclimate Research, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge
- Daniel H. James
- Godwin Laboratory for Palaeoclimate Research, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge
- Andrew J. Mason
- Department of Earth Sciences, Oxford University
- Gideon M. Henderson
- Department of Earth Sciences, Oxford University
- Mark Brenner
- Department of Geological Sciences, Land Use and Environmental Change Institute, University of Florida
- James U. L. Baldini
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Durham
- Sebastian F. M. Breitenbach
- Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Northumbria University
- David A. Hodell
- Godwin Laboratory for Palaeoclimate Research, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-31522-x
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 13,
no. 1
pp. 1 – 10
Abstract
The influence of climate on premodern civil conflict and societal instability is debated. Here, the authors combine archeological, historical, and paleoclimatic datasets to show that drought between 1400-1450 cal. CE escalated civil conflict at Mayapan, the largest Postclassic Maya capital of the Yucatán Peninsula.
