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CIVILIZATION COLLAPSE

Modelling the mysterious Maya

The collapse of the Maya is a topic of perpetual fascination. Now, a study modelling the development of their civilization finds that collapse was driven by land degradation, rather than precipitation change.

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References

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  2. Roman, S. et al. Ecol. Econ. 146, 312–324 (2018).

  3. Chase, A. F. et al. in The Resilience and Vulnerability of Ancient Landscapes: Transforming Maya Archaeology Through IHOPE (eds Chase, A. F. & Scarborough, V. L.) 11–29 (American Anthropological Association, Washington, DC, 2014).

  4. Webster, D. Middle American Research Institute Publication 44 (Middle American Research Institute, New Orleans, LA, 1976).

  5. Gill, R. B. The Great Maya Droughts (Univ. New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, NM, 2000).

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Correspondence to Joseph Tainter.

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Tainter, J. Modelling the mysterious Maya. Nat Sustain 1, 79–80 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-018-0025-0

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