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LiveScience
LiveScience
Skyler Ware

13-year drought crippled Maya on Yucatán Peninsula 1,000 years ago, study finds

A group of people stand near a shaft of light in a large cave with many stalactites.

A stalagmite deep inside a cave in Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula suggests that multiple droughts, including one lasting 13 years, may have contributed to the decline of the Maya civilization in the area.

By studying the mineral formation, the researchers could paint a detailed picture of rainfall by season, which enabled scientists to closely compare climate records with archaeological evidence of instability, according to a study published Wednesday (Aug. 13) in the journal Science Advances.

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