Re: global warming
David Campbell (bivalve@mailserv0.isis.unc.edu)
Wed, 29 Apr 1998 11:39:10 -0400Hi Kent!
In case others are interested, I'm sending this to the list rather than
simply walking down the hall.
>2. How exactly was the Mayan civilization harmful to its environment?
If I remember correctly, pollen and sediment studies indicate a lot
of deforestation near the time of the collapse of the "Classic" Mayan
civilization. However, there was also a lot of warfare between cities, and
I don't think the exact cause and effect sequence is agreed upon. At any
rate, many cities were abandoned and some aspects of the culture were
apparently lost. The center of the Mayan culture shifted from around
Guatemala to the Yucatan peninsula.
Someone else may know more-the closest connection to my research is
the use of freshwater snails as an indicator of abandonment (because
inhabited cities don't have lots of stagnant ponds).
David Campbell