Overview

• The Science Advances study uses oxygen-isotope ratios in a stalagmite from Grutas Tzabnah to reconstruct individual wet and dry seasons from 871 to 1021 CE.
• Researchers identified eight wet-season droughts lasting at least three consecutive years and a prolonged 13-year drought circa 929–942 CE.
• Precisely dated dry spells coincide with archaeological pauses in monument inscriptions and construction at sites such as Chichén Itzá and Labna.
• Authors argue that these multi-year droughts likely exacerbated social and political stresses during the Classic Maya decline but did not act as the sole cause.
• Some specialists caution the study may overstate drought impacts given evidence of Maya water-management systems, perennial crops and inter-site adaptive strategies.