Possibilities and limits in the management of mountain watersheds: Lessons from the Maya civilization

Abstract

This study focused on three pre-Columbian centres of the Maya society: Kaminaljuyu, Copan and Tikal. Historical method was used to compare their development in relation to the hydrological regime. Kaminaljuyu is based on a catchment-lake relationship, Copan on a downstream impact of a large mountain watershed, and Tikal represents an upland settlement based on a headwater spot. The main aim is to analyse water management of these centres, particularly, in view of their rise and collapse. Selected ancient Maya centres used very sophisticated water management systems with several signs of environmental and social implications. That water technology ensured their economic prosperity and consolidation of the administrative and political power for a long time. The water supply of the Maya settlement faced a serious impact of seasonal rainfall with relatively long dry periods (4–5 months) as well as fast runoff formation in the karstified bedrock. While in the Copan centre, surrounded by a large mountain watershed, the flood control was the highest priority, headwater located Kaminaljuyu and Tikal concentrated mainly on the harvest and storage of rain water. Later, these centres had to adapt to the increasing population, changing society, environment and landuse. For a long time their water management was able to adapt to the increasing demand of water and decreasing recharge of water resources. The exact reason of the collapse of these Maya centres was probably a superposition of the climate change, overexploitation of natural resources, and exceeding the carrying capacity of their environment. All those societies reached an extremely high level of hydraulic engineering, but, they were still limited in knowledge of hydrology and watershed management. Finally, it was probably a series of extreme droughts leaded to their final collapse.