Classic Maya collapse

Main article: Classic Maya collapse

Chichen Itza was the most important city in the northern

Maya region.
During the 9th century AD, the central Maya region suffered major political collapse, marked by
the abandonment of cities, the ending of dynasties, and a northward shift in activity. [43] No
universally accepted theory explains this collapse, but it likely had a combination of causes,
including endemic internecine warfare, overpopulation resulting in severe environmental
degradation, and drought.[60] During this period, known as the Terminal Classic, the northern cities
of Chichen Itza and Uxmal showed increased activity.[43] Major cities in the northern Yucatán
Peninsula were inhabited long after the cities of the southern lowlands ceased to raise
monuments.[61]
Classic Maya social organization was based on the ritual authority of the ruler, rather than central
control of trade and food distribution. This model was poorly structured to respond to changes,
because the ruler's actions were limited by tradition to such activities as construction, ritual, and
warfare. This only served to exacerbate systemic problems.[62] By the 9th and 10th centuries, this
resulted in collapse of this system of rulership. In the northern Yucatán, individual rule was
replaced by a ruling council formed from elite lineages. In the southern Yucatán and central
Petén, kingdoms declined; in western Petén and some other areas, the changes were
catastrophic and resulted in the rapid depopulation of cities.[63] Within a couple of generations,
large swathes of the central Maya area were all but abandoned.[64] Both the capitals and their
secondary centres were generally abandoned within a period of 50 to 100 years. [42] One by one,
cities stopped sculpting dated monuments; the last Long Count date was inscribed at Toniná in
909. Stelae were no longer raised, and squatters moved into abandoned royal palaces.
Mesoamerican trade routes shifted and bypassed Petén.[65]

Postclassic period (c. 950–1539 AD)