The Fall of the Mayan EmpireThe collapse of the Mayan Empire is one of the greatest mysteries in history. It was one of the most advanced and developed civilizations of its time, mastering the Preclassic period and the Classical and Postclassical periods (2000 BC – 900 AD). The territory stretched from the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico to present-day El Salvador in Central America. Its achievements were monumental for its time, being the first empire to communicate with the use of a written language featuring over 800 symbols and producing the first 365-day calendar. They maintained a deep understanding of astrological cycles that would help plan harvest cycles and predict solar eclipses. The Mayans also developed a more advanced mathematical system than the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans, discovering the concept of the number zero. They had a developed understanding of proper agricultural techniques, architecture and an appreciation for the arts. The Mayan population numbered in the millions as they maintained efficient urbanization and participated in long-distance trade and correspondence with surrounding areas. With all these imperial advantages, these factors beg the question: "How did the Mayan Empire fall?" » By analyzing different scientific theories surrounding the collapse of the Mayan Empire, we can begin to interpret the elements that led to its ultimate demise. The first theory we will analyze is the “foreign invasion theory”. In Mikael Hannikainen's article "Demise of Classic Maya civilization", he summarized this theory as follows: "...the Maya civilization suffered external military pressure from outside forces, thus generating a negative pattern of counter -destructive attacks. ... middle of article...... Antiquity 86.Hannikainen, Mikael. “Cession of Classic Maya Civilization.” Demise of Classic Maya civilization: 20. (accessed January 1, 2014). Kracht, Dr. Benjamin. "The Mayan Civilization". http://arapaho.nsuok.edu/~kracht/mayancourse/home.html (accessed January 1, 2014). Merriam-Webster. “slash-and-burn cultivation”. Merriam Webster. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slash-and-burn (accessed May 4, 2014). Mott, Nicholas. “Why the Mayans fell: climate change, conflict and a trip to the beach?” National Geographic News. (accessed January 1, 2014). Sabloff, Jeremy. “Collapse of the Classic Period of the Central Maya Lowlands: Insights into Human-Environment Relations for Sustainability.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America PNAS, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 2. (accessed January 1, 2014).