The Terminal Classic (790-899) marks the fall of the great ruling dynasties... 790 marks a threshold for dated monuments. After this point, most monuments are found at smaller sites. Speaking generally, there is a move toward smaller and independent political units... there is a shift to South West Chiapas and Northern Yucatan. Other features of this era include the decreased use of non-local emblems, decrease of marriages and alliances, increased hostility, increase in ‘capture scenes’ and foreign motifs, increased stylistic and iconographic diversity. There is a general slow down in intellectual activity, an absence of dynastic monuments and hieroglyphic texts. There are significantly less luxury products during this time. There are myriad theories to explain the fall of the classic Maya and they are usually one of two sorts... those that emphasise internal factors or those that stress external factors. Internal factors include natural catastrophe, ecological disaster and sociopolitical disintegration. Of natural catastrophes, it is almost certain the ancient Maya had to contend with volcanic erruptions, earthquakes and hurricanes. It is unlikely, however, that these would have been sufficent to devastate the entire region. The notion of epidemic disease is a good one although it lacks evidence to back it. Of ecological disasters, some theories propose famine through the decimation of land by overuse of swidden agriculture. This seems unlikely as the Maya were able to cultivate land intensively for hundreds of years prior. Regarding sociopolitical disintegration, some scholars propose the notion of peasant revolt... agricultural problems combined with disease, malnutrition and abuses of the ruling class gave catalyst to unrest. While appealing, there is no evidence for any such thing. A further theory of sociopolitical disintegration suggests that trades centres on the periphery came to supercede those in the centre... thereby causing the economic decline of the great powers. There is evidence that makes this hypothesis unlikely... namely the decline of periphery centres long before the major ones. Another theory that focuses on the sociopolitical suggests that Mexican states grew more efficent and the Mayans were unable to compete. There is no evidence for this. Yet another theory suggests that Mayan fatalism lead them into diasaster. The year 790AD marks the completion of a cycle that at former times spelled social decline... the others being 534 (mid Classic hiatus) and 278 (the eruption of volcano Llopango). This theory, while pleasing, somewhat lacks substance. Finally, there are theories emphasising civil warfare. The Mayas were in an almost continual state of war in any case and it seems unlikely to ever have reached massive proportions... enough to destroy the classic civilisations. Theories concerned with external factors focus upon invasion and economic isolation. There is some evidence to indicate outside invasion by Mexican groups... sudden and complete shifts in pottery, for example. Such evidence is limited to a few sites, however, and it is plausible that invasion was an effect of decline and not the cause. Theories of economic isolation suggest that lowland sites failed to recognise the importance of sea trade routes. Like the Mid Classic hiatus, symbiotic relations with the rest of Mesoamerica were lost. This seems a plausible explanation in part, for during the next period of evolution, the post-classic, sea trade routes were favoured over inland ones. In conclusion, it is likely that none of the above theories can account for the fall entirely... it is likely that a combination of factors are at the cause.
The era of the Post Classic arrived (900-1500 AD) with its prevailing decadence. This period is characterized by an increased reliance on militarism, secularism in political affairs and greater development of urban life. There was generally more social integration during this time… more communication, commerce, migration. There were more instances of alliance and conquest also. The northern lowlands (Yucatan Peninsula) rose to dominance during the Post-Classic era. Retrospectively, Pre-Classic settlements came to flower through their salt resources and coastal trade positions. Ultimately though, the area was constrained by poor agricultural development and declined during the late pre-classic... inland centres predominated. There is little evidence of early classic monuments, but the late classic and terminal saw emergence of sites on the Rio Bec and Puuc hills. These cities were characterised by facades with heavily ornate ornamentation in the ‘chenes’ style. Chenes bears many similarities to Mexican styles (Mitla, Oaxaca for example) and it has been postulated that the inhabitants of these sites maintained contact with non-Maya groups. The history of the lowlands during the classic to post-classic shift (and after) is one dominated by the rise of several independent Maya groups… the Putun or Chontal. These Maya were skilled merchants, warriors and opportunists… arriving from a homeland in Tabasco, they came to control the sea routes along the lowland coasts. These Maya were heavily Mexicanised and some of them were allied to the Toltecs, the then dominant peoples of central Mexico. Of the Putun then, there were the Itza… an extremely successful tribe who came to control the region in the early Post Classic. The city of Chichen Itza came to the fore…