while it is true that the aztecs and the incas fell to european conquest, this was not the case with the olmecs and mayans. they fell of their own accord, without any help from europeans.
the olmecs were the mother culture of mesoamerica. they lived around veracruz, mexico and already had made strides in astronomy and writing by the time they fell. there is no conclusive evidence about their fall. was it war or internal dissention or ecological factors? we just can't say for sure at this point in the archaeology.
with the mayas, there are a number of theories. they have been touted as an example of ecological disaster overtaking a civilization. overpopulation, drought, warfare for dwindling resources. what i think happened along with all these other factors is that the maya people got sick of their priestly dominated, temple based government predicated upon human sacrifice. human sacrifice was supposed to keep the natural forces of the universe working in harmony for the benefit of the people. when the people saw that calamities still were visited upon them in spite of the fact that they still offered their sons and daughters to be sacrificed, they threw the bums out, (the priests, that is), and abandoned the temples for village life once more.
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