Another key part to the warfare hypothesis is the possibility of external conflict, or as Webster calls it “foreign invasions” (2002:228). It can be seen throughout history, in various parts of the world, outside conflicts with neighboring people can cause a civilization to fall. Some proponents to the warfare theory support the idea that it was perhaps “’foreigners’, usually conceived to be Mexicans and/or Mexicanized Maya from the Gulf Coast zone” that exerted pressure on the Lowland Maya which led to the end of the Classic Maya people (Webster 2002:229).
This hypothesis is supported by archeological finds at sites like Seibal. At Seibal, the style of art, pottery, and iconography dating about A.D. 800 has “non-Classic Maya” elements that differ from older works at the same site (Webster 2002:229). With this, Archaeologists inferred that Seibal had been taken over and thus the invader’s influence spread throughout the site. As with the previous hypotheses the invasion theory does not account for other factors of the Classic Maya collapse. …show more content…
Although the slash and burn method was effective in clearing land, archaeological evidence found shows it may have caused deforestation which could have caused climate issues. Deforestation may have given rise to the frequency in natural disasters. Since the Maya cleared so much land by using the slash and burn method, the “alterations and demands placed on resources and [the] ecosystem generated high-stress environmental conditions” (Turner and Sabloff