Historians from the Vienna Technical University have found out the reason for the decline of the Maya civilization. It turned out that irrigation technologies that saved crops from drought could make Native American society more vulnerable to natural disasters. The scientists published the results of the research in the journal Water Resources Research.
The rapid decline in the Maya population began at the end of the 9th century. It is well known that they built reservoirs for water supply systems, so scientists have assessed the impact of hydraulic structures on their society. Mathematical models have made it possible to establish the relationship between fertility and the amount of water available.
Modeling results showed that reservoirs support the increase in urban dwellers during droughts. However, during prolonged dry periods, the Maya continued to consume large quantities of water, resulting in serious water shortages. Subsequently, this led to a decrease in the population and a decline in society.
In 2014, American geologists suggested that extreme drought, which lasted about a hundred years, could be the cause of the Mayan extinction.