Event

Classic Maya collapse

c. 750–950 · 8th century

The Classic Maya collapse was the decline and abandonment of the lowland Maya kingdoms of Guatemala, Belize and southern Mexico between the 8th and 10th centuries. Royal dynasties stopped erecting dated monuments and great cities were deserted. Warfare, drought, population pressure and the breakdown of trade are all thought to have played a part.

Mentioned in 1 profile

TikalDecline

Mentioned in 3 state histories

UaxactunTikalDos Pilas

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Classic Maya collapse. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/classic-maya-collapse
MLA
“Classic Maya collapse.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/classic-maya-collapse. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Classic Maya collapse.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/classic-maya-collapse.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Classic Maya collapse’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/classic-maya-collapse (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻