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2w ago

Sub-Annual Cave Record Reveals Prolonged Droughts During Classic Maya Decline

Published in Science Advances, the study extracts oxygen-isotope data from a Yucatán stalagmite to reconstruct seasonal rainfall variability, revealing eight multi-year droughts with the longest spanning 13 years.

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Overview

  • A research team led by Daniel H. James used oxygen-isotope analysis of a stalagmite from Grutas Tzabnah to produce the first sub-annual rainfall reconstruction for 871–1021 CE.
  • The high-resolution record identifies eight wet-season droughts lasting at least three years during the Terminal Classic period.
  • The most severe drought persisted for approximately 13 consecutive years between 929 and 942 CE, the longest recorded in the region.
  • These drought episodes coincide with archaeological indicators of site abandonment and paused monument construction at major Maya centers such as Chichén Itzá and Labna.
  • The dataset establishes a framework for precise synchronization of climate events with local archaeological chronologies and paves the way for additional cave-based records across the Yucatán.