| Earthquakes |
| Climatic Changes |
| Epidemics |
| Foreign Conquest |
| Civil War |
| Intellectual and Esthetic Exhaustion |
| Social Decay |
| Governmental Disorganization |
| Economic Collapse |
Economic Collapse
The economy of the Mayan society is one of agricultural and trading. Crops like cotton, corn, cacao, squash, beans, chili peppers, amaranth, and manioc were grown. The men work on these crops while the women make pottery to sell and use. The land that they farmed a tribute must be paid to the noble class. Deciding what to grown depends on the part of the region they are in. When it comes to the labor of the farm it usually is the men of the family with sometimes a hired slave to help out. This land that the crops are grown on is very scared to the Mayan people. To stop insects from eating their crops the farmers must not get the sprits of heaven angry who control the elements of growth. These farmers believe that the crops have spirits and souls. Furthermore, that these spirits watch over the souls of these crops. However, these spirits will only continue to look over these souls if they are given gifts. There are many different saints like the ones that provide rainfall for the crops. This saint Oxchuk provides the rain that is needed for the crops to grow. Many Mayan people look to this saint as the most important. As in many other aspects of their life the Mayan people look to the gods for guidance.
It is assumed that the economic collapse came
about because the common people were treated unfairly. These people
but their whole lives into growing of crops but were not allowed to own
the land. The noble class took advantage of them by making them pay
most of their income to them. These common people as in many aspects
of their life got frustrated with this and revolted.