The only thing we can learn from the history is that people do not learn from history.
When primitive tribes switch to agriculture, they start to modify the environment to their
conveniences.
After some time the need arises to control the natural surrounding. For a primitive farmer
it is however quite difficult to control the precipitation and solar radiation.
For this purpose a specialist has to be employed.
Some of these specialists, called wizards or high priests, had however quit little control
on the weather and other natural circumstances. The specialist had to introduce entities,
more powerful than himself, called gods.
To influence nature, these gods had to be pleased. Common practice is to build temples and
to bring sacrifices for the gods. When the gods did not act to full satisfaction of the
people, the specialist would claim that the temples or the sacrifices were not big enough.
In Mayan culture, every 52 years the temples would get a new layer, and be increased in size
considerably.
Due to long time climatic cycles, some 1000 years ago, southern Mexico suffered from a
long drought. Scepticism about the specialists rose when the average Mayan tax payer
notices that the larger the temples became and the higher the taxes became, the less rain
was falling.
The Mayan population abandoned the religious sites. Most probably, the Mayan culture
collapsed due to high overhead cost.
A society where the cost for government is not in line with the benefits for the people,
is likely to deteriorate and to disappear.
JMM, August 1997
Justification: Historical data is completely based on the data on my 25 pesos T-shirt, acquired at the entrance of the Uxmal site.
Further readings: What happened to the Mayas ?