Despite their many accomplishments, including the development of a numerical system which included the number zero (0), an advanced calendar system, and a remarkable written language, the Maya evidently experienced some sort of decline in the 10th century. Ethnically speaking the Maya still exist – their descents can still be found in the regions where their civilizations had once thrived. However, their urban centers were abandoned, to be reclaimed by the jungle. It is not clear why the Maya abandoned their cities; their written records and the remaining archeological evidence do not provide much evidence.

Isendahl, Dunning, and Sabloff (2014), professors of archaeology, use Puuc as a case study for their theory of the Mayan departure from the cities. They suggest that the departure was an inevitable response to the decline of the economy, which was very boom-and-crash (Isendahl, Dunning, & Sabloff, 2014). As returns on energy/resources diminished, the economy declined, leading to organizational collapse. Tainter (2014), also a college professor, poses a similar theory, pointing to unsustainable agricultural practices which left the Maya civilizations vulnerable to a host of factors, particularly warfare.

Of these two theories, Tainter’s (2014) seems more comprehensive and takes into consideration a wider variety of factors, making it a stronger candidate as an explanation. The Mayan civilization’s dependence on agricultural practices made them vulnerable to drought, which Cobos, Anda Alanís, and Moll (2014) indicate occurred significantly between the 9th and 11th centuries; this would have limited resources. In addition to diminishing resources, there was significant warfare between the big cities (such as between Caracol and Tikal) which further compromised their resources, leading to economic and political collapse, leading to the abandonment of the cities. They simply could not sustain the civilizations.