Drop in rainfall ‘brought down’ Mayans

Only a modest drop in rainfall led to the collapse of the classic Maya civilisation more than 1,100 years ago, a new study has found.

The demise of the civilisation, centred on present day Mexico and Guatemala, was sudden and has intrigued archaeologists for many years with theories of the collapse around 950AD blamed on social unrest, disease and extreme drought.

But the study has calculated for the first time just how much rain was lost and discovered that only a 25 to 40 per cent drop was enough to help lead to the collapse of the sophisticated society of accomplished architects and mathematicians that flourished for around 600 years.