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NOVA News Minutes Mayan Meltdown (running time 01:26) Transcript April 11, 2003 NARRATOR: This Mayan temple is a relic of a once great culture in southern Mexico. While Europe was in the dark ages, the Mayans were masters of architecture and mathematics. As shown on PBS's NOVA, they also used a complex writing system. But archeological records show that late in the first millennium, the southern Mayans left their great cities. The reason why has been a mystery. Konrad Hughen (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution): A number of theories were put forward over the course of decades actually relating to warfare, or famine, or disease. NARRATOR: But while the dusty digs of Mexico still hold their secrets, Hughen and a team of climate researchers may have found the answer elsewhere—in the ocean. They analyzed layers of muddy sediment drilled from the ocean floor. By measuring the concentration of certain elements in the mud, they determined the amount of seasonal rainfall over the years. As reported in the journal Science, the team discovered a 150-year dry period, punctuated by droughts. Konrad Hughen (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution): There were three distinct events lasting between three and nine years when rainfall was either entirely absent or greatly reduced. NARRATOR: The dates of these droughts exactly match the dates when archeologists say the Mayans left their cities. So while some of today's Maya call archeologists "the people who make the stones speak," we may be getting answers from climatologists making ocean mud speak. I'm Brad Kloza. Before and After | Future Ruins | Thomas Lee | Be an Archaeologist Teacher's Guide | Resources | Transcript | Cave People Home Editor's Picks | Previous Sites | Join Us/E-mail | TV/Web Schedule | About NOVA Watch NOVAs online | Teachers | Site Map | Shop | Search | To Print PBS Online | NOVA Online | WGBH © | Updated April 2003 |