By the time Francisco de Montejo and his men arrived in Chichen Itza, the city had been abandoned for at least 200 years. They were the first Europeans to reach what was once Mesoamerica’s most important city, and their mouths fell open: even Diego de Landa, who was responsible for one of the Continent’s most brutal inquisitions, the remains of the holy city.

How can there be such big cities in the middle of the jungle? At first the Spanish conquerors thought of placing the capital right there, but on the one hand, its distance from the sea; and the lack of fresh water upset Mérida’s balance. However, this in itself opened up a lot of questions. To begin with, how could 100,000 people live in a place like this with its aqueducts, roads, astronomical observatories and temples (as well as all of Yucatan) where drinking water was scarce?

When what gives you life takes it away. The explanation is simpler than it seems: thanks to a truly impressive effort to build canals and aqueducts. Certainly this mighty water system was not only the vault key of the mighty Mayan civilization, but also its own curse.

A recent study by Auburn University (USA) examined the decline of the ancient Maya city of Kaminaljuyú and found that it was severely affected by a toxic cyanobacterial plague that originated in Lake Amititlán in central Guatemala and spread by the Maya water supply.

Invisible Curse… We know this because this was not a unique or sudden process. The great Mayan cities, one by one, lost their vitality, falling victim to what seemed like a curse: people fell ill, became weak, died. Many fled, fearing evil they could not accurately describe. At least, at first.

… against what they’re fighting with all their skills. Then the deteriorating quality of the water finally caught his attention. A study by the University of Cincinnati showed that the inhabitants of this ancient Mayan city of Tikal brought sand from hundreds of kilometers to purify the water in their reservoirs. In other words, the Mayans created this water filtration system almost 2,000 years before similar systems were used in Europe: they didn’t have much success, yes.

It is clear that this was not the only reason for the collapse.. The end of the Mayan empire was the result of a series of causes and problems that are difficult to summarize. However, as soon as we learn more about all this, we discover that nature, health and climate (as they are now) are the triggers of great social, economic and political change.

Image | Jimmy Baum