Complete Thesis_double spaced abstract.pdf

three quarters of their agricultural output. The noble classes then managed the resources of the
entire community. Everyday life for the lower classes remains relatively unchanged from the
Pre-classic period to the Classic period (10,000 B.C. to 250-900 A.D.). Agricultural output still
consumes the majority of their time; although, the lower classes are also participants and
observers in the elaborate ceremonies and games engaged in by the noble classes. Slaves are
utilized by the noble classes during this time period; they are predominantly criminals,
individuals captured in war, and those sold into bondage. While the Classical period contains the
apex of Mayan civilization, it also contains the seeds of its decline. The decline of Mayan
civilization begins at the end of the Classical period. There is no single agreed upon causal factor
responsible for this decline. Several factors are frequently debated, including: drought, revolts of
the lower classes, natural disasters, deforestation, warfare, epidemic illness, and depletion of
natural resources used in agricultural cultivation.
The last period is known as the Post-classic period and lasts from 900 A.D. through the
Spanish discovery and conquest in 1524. As previously mentioned, the decline of Mayan
populations in the large cities of the Classical period is thought to be in part related to drought,
deforestation and depletion of prime agricultural lands resulting in two important effects. First,
the remaining Mayan cities become more interdependent on each other for resources and goods,
the level of trade increases between cities. Guatemala was the home of several important Mayan
cities during the Post-classical period, including Tayasal and Topoxté in Northern Guatemala. In
the Post-classical period cities and populations that flourished tended to be found next to rivers
and waterways. Correspondingly the Mayans of the Post-classical period were known for their
trade and commerce on rivers and in the ocean; heavy canoes were used to transport goods over
long distances relatively quickly. Increased trade in the Post-classical period produced a
significant middle class, comprised of skilled craft workers and trade merchants. The noble or
56