First of all, the most plausible theory of what lead to the demise of this great city is the rising power of Mayapan conquering the city. The reason why historians believe this theory to be most plausible is because the time period when the Mayan city began to decline matches perfectly with when the city of Mayapan began to rise to power. The city of Mayapan is located just 63 miles from Chichen Itza, which lends more credibilty to the theory that the Mayapan conquered Chichen Itza. Some historians also believe that they didn't necessarily "take over' Chichen Itza, rather they just took over in being the socio-economic hub of the area, which lead to the city's downfall.
Secondly, some evidence suggests that the Mayans just left the area. This doesn't seem as plausible as the Mayapan theory, but some historians believe that is what happened because there is not enough evidence to prove the previous theory. One thing that just doesn't sit right is if the Mayans would just really leave the area. It doesn't make sense to build this great city, then just leave.
Now may favorite, Alien Abduction! Some people believe this theory, not just because of lack of evidence to prove the other theories, but because of the complexity of the city itself. Ancient astronaut theorists, such as Giorgio Tsoukalos, have added fuel to this fire. The theorists ask how could the Maya have constructed such things as the Observatory and track the path of Venus? They also question if it was really possible for the mayans to have built, with such precision, all of the columns, ball courts, and structures such as "El Castillo."
It would be cool to know aliens exist, but I have to say it really annoys me when people argue that impressive ancient stuff like the structures at Chichen Itza were built by aliens. It's really insulting to the ancient Mayan people! They displayed amazing ingenuity, dedication, and creativity in building things like "El Castillo" or the Observatory, and they deserve our respect for that. Yet guys like Giorgio "Aliens Did It!" Tsoukalos always seem to jump to the conclusion that humans can't accomplish anything on our own, despite evidence to the contrary from all over the world.
ReplyDeleteSorry, didn't mean to rant at you, it's just one of my pet peeves!