![[Media/Chichen_Itza_3.jpg]] *El Castillo (pyramid of Kukulcán) in Chichén Itzá* Elsewhere in the Americas, at about this time, the Mayan culture of the Yucatan (Mexico and Guatemala) began abandoning cities such as Tikal, Calakmul, and Copán and moving north to new centers like Chichén Itzá. This migration was probably due partly to changes in the climate and partly to manmade problems. Tikal's population of over 100,000 was very densely packed, with over a thousand people per square kilometer. Lake core sediments show that for a period of over fifty years, rainfall dropped by nearly 50%. And pollen records show that the jungle had been about 90% removed, so what rain did fall was not stored in soils , but ran off or evaporated. The maize crop failure was devastating, since corn was the staple crop accounting for up to three quarters of people's diets. Elite residences and temples were destroyed and burned during this period, suggesting extreme social unrest. Between 850 and 900, population dropped by 90%. People didn't die, though; they moved. Some to the north, others just away from cities and ceremonial culture. The Maya didn't die out; there are well over six million living in the same region today. They just seem to have changed their way of life, and become much less urban and centralized. ----- Next: [[10.16 - Mississippians]] Back: [[10.14 - Farther West]]