One of the major Maya cities thrived in a tropical forest by using sophisticated agricultural, forestry and water-management techniques.

David Lentz at the University of Cincinnati in Ohio and his colleagues surveyed modern forests at the site of Tikal in Guatemala, which was a bustling city roughly 1,400 years ago. By analysing archaeological plant and soil specimens, the authors concluded that the people of Tikal intensively farmed the land, using irrigation and terraces, for example. They also developed a complex system for collecting and distributing rainwater.

However, by around AD 850, as drought set in, the Tikal systems could not keep up with the growing population, probably leading to the demise of the great city.

Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1408631111 (2014)