{"id":128108,"date":"2009-11-04T11:31:00","date_gmt":"2009-11-04T11:31:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/weblogs.madrimasd.org\/\/universo\/archive\/2009\/11\/04\/128108.aspx"},"modified":"2010-01-22T03:54:34","modified_gmt":"2010-01-22T02:54:34","slug":"la-decadencia-de-los-mayas-%c2%bfuna-sociedad-sustentable","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.madrimasd.org\/blogs\/universo\/2009\/11\/04\/128108","title":{"rendered":"La Decadencia de Los Mayas: \u00bfUna Sociedad Sustentable?"},"content":{"rendered":"<link rel=\"File-List\" href=\"file:\/\/\/C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CJuanjo%5CCONFIG%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml\">\n<style> <!--  \/* Font Definitions *\/  @font-face \t{font-family:\"Comic Sans MS\"; \tpanose-1:3 15 7 2 3 3 2 2 2 4; \tmso-font-charset:0; \tmso-generic-font-family:script; \tmso-font-pitch:variable; \tmso-font-signature:647 0 0 0 159 0;} @font-face \t{font-family:\"Bookman Old Style\"; \tpanose-1:2 5 6 4 5 5 5 2 2 4; \tmso-font-charset:0; \tmso-generic-font-family:roman; \tmso-font-pitch:variable; \tmso-font-signature:647 0 0 0 159 0;}  \/* Style Definitions *\/  p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal \t{mso-style-parent:\"\"; \tmargin:0pt; \tmargin-bottom:.0001pt; \tmso-pagination:widow-orphan; \tfont-size:12.0pt; \tfont-family:\"Times New Roman\"; \tmso-fareast-font-family:\"Times New Roman\";} a:link, span.MsoHyperlink \t{color:#000099; \tmso-text-animation:none; \ttext-decoration:none; \ttext-underline:none; \ttext-decoration:none; \ttext-line-through:none;} a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed \t{color:purple; \ttext-decoration:underline; \ttext-underline:single;} @page Section1 \t{size:612.0pt 792.0pt; \tmargin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt; \tmso-header-margin:36.0pt; \tmso-footer-margin:36.0pt; \tmso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 \t{page:Section1;} --> <\/style>\n<p><!--  \/* Style Definitions *\/  table.MsoNormalTable \t{mso-style-name:\"Tabla normal\"; \tmso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; \tmso-tstyle-colband-size:0; \tmso-style-noshow:yes; \tmso-style-parent:\"\"; \tmso-padding-alt:0pt 5.4pt 0pt 5.4pt; \tmso-para-margin:0pt; \tmso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; \tmso-pagination:widow-orphan; \tfont-size:10.0pt; \tfont-family:\"Times New Roman\";} -->  <\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b><span style=\"font-size: 8pt; font-family: &quot;Comic Sans MS&quot;; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);\">Nota para los m\u00e1s asiduos a esta bit\u00e1cora<\/span><\/b><span style=\"font-size: 8pt; font-family: &quot;Comic Sans MS&quot;;\">: <i>A partir de hoy hasta la \u00faltima semana de noviembre, estaremos de viaje, por lo que las fechas de los post (que se inscriben cuando el art\u00edculo se introduce en la Web) no corresponder\u00e1n con la del d\u00eda en que se editen). Se dieron confusiones anteriores y deseamos evitarlas en esta ocasi\u00f3n. Las pr\u00f3ximas diez entregas ya han sido incorporadas al sistema. Saludos<\/i>.<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Comic Sans MS&quot;;\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Bookman Old Style&quot;;\">En un post anterior:<span style=\"color: teal;\"> <\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Bookman Old Style&quot;; color: teal;\">\u201cEl Declive de la Civilizaci\u00f3n Maya a Debate\u201d<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Bookman Old Style&quot;;\">, ya debatimos como, a veces, los investigadores de los \u00e1mbitos de la arqueolog\u00eda y geoarqueolog\u00eda, analizan los datos de una forma muy ramplona, sin entrar a analizar como las civilizaciones desaparecidas evolucionaban con el tiempo. Entiendo que la escasez de informaci\u00f3n impone una simplificaci\u00f3n de las perspectivas, hasta el punto de considerar que las culturas que las generaban no cambiaban (inmutables) a lo largo de todo el imperio. Nadie duda, por la abundante documentaci\u00f3n que existe al respecto, de los vaivenes y cambios irreversibles que sufri\u00f3 Roma. Su perspectiva del mundo, estructuras pol\u00edticas y sociales, as\u00ed <span style=\"\">&nbsp;<\/span>como costumbres y usos del territorio, etc., cambiaron notablemente a lo largo de su nacimiento, auge y decadencia. \u00bfPorqu\u00e9 entonces no pensar lo mismo con otras civilizaciones de las que atesoramos escasa informaci\u00f3n?. De ser as\u00ed: complejidad cultural = cantidad de informaci\u00f3n disponible en los archivos. En aquel post, narramos como los autores llevaron a cabo toda una serie de especulaciones cargadas de prejuicios, al contrario de lo que da cuenta la nota de prensa que presentamos hoy. La cultura occidental no se ha caracterizado precisamente por su respeto hacia el medio ambiente, sino m\u00e1s bien por todo lo contrario. Empero en las \u00faltimas d\u00e9cadas todo se ha acelerado, y para peor. Si nos atenemos a los patrones, que nos indican las fechas del tiempo de las grandes civilizaciones que nos precedieron, nos encontrar\u00edamos al borde del precipicio. Qui\u00e9rase o no, cambio clim\u00e1tico, p\u00e9rdida de biodiversidad, contaminaci\u00f3n de suelos, mares y aire, nos obligan a reconocer que somos insustentables, por mucho que exista un gran n\u00famero de ciudadanos con una conciencia ambiental encomiable. Empero el poder impone su ley, siendo sus intereses muy diferentes a los del pueblo. Nuestros amigos y colaboradores eventuales, el etnoedaf\u00f3logo Francisco Bautista y Alfred Zinck (que tiene talento para trabajar en casi todos los temas que se le ponen encima de la mesa) me invitaron a colaborar en la redacci\u00f3n de un art\u00edculo de etnoedafolog\u00eda, para mi sorpresa y satisfacci\u00f3n. Ya Francisco escribi\u00f3 en el primer borrador que los Mayas, son la primera civilizaci\u00f3n conocida que preservaba ciertas \u00e1reas naturales, como nosotros hacemos hoy con la figura legal de los parques naturales. Y si el populacho no la cumpl\u00eda (\u2026) Por tanto, la nota de prensa que exponemos hoy, no ofrece novedad alguna al respecto. Sin embargo, si que presenta datos de inter\u00e9s que seguro que os interesar\u00e1n.<span style=\"\">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <\/span><span style=\"\">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span><o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Comic Sans MS&quot;;\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Comic Sans MS&quot;;\"><o:p>&nbsp;<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/blogs\/universo\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/42\/files\/255\/o_Civilizaci%C3%B3n%20Maya%20recreaci%C3%B3n.jpg\" height=\"347\" width=\"433\"><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Comic Sans MS&quot;;\"><span style=\"\">&nbsp;<\/span><o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt; font-family: &quot;Comic Sans MS&quot;;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/englishclassblog-int.blogspot.com\/\">Civilizaci\u00f3n maya recreaci\u00f3n: Fuente: Maya Civilization<\/a><o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p>  <!--more--><link rel=\"File-List\" href=\"file:\/\/\/C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CJuanjo%5CCONFIG%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml\"><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri=\"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags\" name=\"PlaceName\"><\/o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri=\"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags\" name=\"PlaceType\"><\/o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri=\"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags\" name=\"place\"><\/o:smarttagtype><!--[if !mso]><object  classid=\"clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D\" id=ieooui><\/object> \n\n<style> st1\\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } --><\/p>\n<style> <!--  \/* Font Definitions *\/  @font-face \t{font-family:\"Comic Sans MS\"; \tpanose-1:3 15 7 2 3 3 2 2 2 4; \tmso-font-charset:0; \tmso-generic-font-family:script; \tmso-font-pitch:variable; \tmso-font-signature:647 0 0 0 159 0;}  \/* Style Definitions *\/  p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal \t{mso-style-parent:\"\"; \tmargin:0pt; \tmargin-bottom:.0001pt; \tmso-pagination:widow-orphan; \tfont-size:12.0pt; \tfont-family:\"Times New Roman\"; \tmso-fareast-font-family:\"Times New Roman\";} a:link, span.MsoHyperlink \t{color:#000099; \tmso-text-animation:none; \ttext-decoration:none; \ttext-underline:none; \ttext-decoration:none; \ttext-line-through:none;} a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed \t{color:purple; \ttext-decoration:underline; \ttext-underline:single;} @page Section1 \t{size:612.0pt 792.0pt; \tmargin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt; \tmso-header-margin:36.0pt; \tmso-footer-margin:36.0pt; \tmso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 \t{page:Section1;} --> <\/style>\n<p><!--  \/* Style Definitions *\/  table.MsoNormalTable \t{mso-style-name:\"Tabla normal\"; \tmso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; \tmso-tstyle-colband-size:0; \tmso-style-noshow:yes; \tmso-style-parent:\"\"; \tmso-padding-alt:0pt 5.4pt 0pt 5.4pt; \tmso-para-margin:0pt; \tmso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; \tmso-pagination:widow-orphan; \tfont-size:10.0pt; \tfont-family:\"Times New Roman\";} -->  <\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Comic Sans MS&quot;;\">Tanto de la lectura del post anterior como de este, uno debe concluir que<b style=\"\"><span style=\"color: rgb(51, 102, 255);\"> los paisajes agrarios de Am\u00e9rica Central, llegaron a ser sumamente extensos<\/span><\/b>, por lo que <b style=\"\"><span style=\"color: rgb(51, 102, 255);\">desde el cielo, no diferir\u00edan mucho de los actuales<\/span><\/b> (soslayando el tipo de edificaciones). <b style=\"\"><span style=\"color: rgb(51, 102, 255);\">Obras hidr\u00e1ulicas, riego, y la pregunta del mill\u00f3n \u00bfcultivos o monocultivos?<\/span><\/b> Supongo que <b style=\"\"><span style=\"color: green;\">Francisco Bautista<\/span><\/b> tendr\u00e1 a bien aportarnos algo de informaci\u00f3n sobre este \u00faltimo interrogante. De la lectura del primer manuscrito de Francisco, no pod\u00eda extraerse precisamente la conclusi\u00f3n de que los <b style=\"\"><span style=\"color: rgb(51, 102, 255);\">monocultivos<\/span><\/b> imperaran a sus anchas, como tampoco, que dejaran las tierras yermas por falta de<b style=\"\"><span style=\"color: rgb(51, 102, 255);\"> enmiendas<\/span><\/b>, si no todo lo contrario.<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Comic Sans MS&quot;;\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b style=\"\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Comic Sans MS&quot;; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);\">Sorprende la cantidad de culturas que se han ido al garete<\/span><\/b><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Comic Sans MS&quot;;\"> (seg\u00fan los arque\u00f3logos) <b style=\"\"><span style=\"color: rgb(51, 102, 255);\">por sus esfuerzos en complacer a los Dioses<\/span><\/b> con templos y pir\u00e1mides, incluso en el conocido caso de las Isla de Pascua (a la que no podemos etiquetar como civilizaci\u00f3n avanzada). <b style=\"\"><span style=\"color: rgb(51, 102, 255);\">Tanto temor de Dios no parece sano<\/span><\/b>, al menos para los presuntos esclavos y el medio ambiente (pero en el caso de los sacerdotes\u2026..). <o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Comic Sans MS&quot;;\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Comic Sans MS&quot;;\"><o:p>&nbsp;<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/blogs\/universo\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/42\/files\/255\/o_maya_agriculture.jpg\" height=\"601\" width=\"436\"><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Comic Sans MS&quot;;\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt; font-family: &quot;Comic Sans MS&quot;;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.guidetobelize.info\/en\/maya\/belize-mayan-guide.shtml\">Agricultura Maya. Fuente: Guide to Belize<\/a><o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Comic Sans MS&quot;;\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b style=\"\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Comic Sans MS&quot;; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);\">En estos estudios<\/span><\/b><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Comic Sans MS&quot;;\"> (los analizados en este, y el del post precedente)<b style=\"\"><span style=\"color: rgb(51, 102, 255);\"> se achaca a la deforestaci\u00f3n<\/span><\/b>, de una u otra forma, de ser<b style=\"\"><span style=\"color: rgb(51, 102, 255);\"> la responsable y retroalimentar el ciclo de sequ\u00eda (a mayor deforestaci\u00f3n menor cantidad de lluvias)<\/span><\/b>. \u00a1Posiblemente!. Ahora bien, como ya relatamos en otro post, la ciencia contempor\u00e1nea no ha logrado averiguar hasta que punto tal pr\u00e1ctica afecta a la disminuci\u00f3n de las precipitaciones. Me explico. Todas las evidencias disponibles nos inducen a pensar que tal hecho debe ser cierto. Sin embargo, <b style=\"\"><span style=\"color: rgb(51, 102, 255);\">la deforestaci\u00f3n <\/span><\/b>(como la reforestaci\u00f3n con vistas a invertir tal tendencia) <b style=\"\"><span style=\"color: rgb(51, 102, 255);\">debe alcanzar un umbral de superficie determinada (pero considerable) con vistas a que tal hecho ocurra. \u00bfLa sobrepasaron los mayas?<\/span><\/b><span style=\"\">&nbsp; <\/span>No lo sabemos.<span style=\"\">&nbsp; <\/span><o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Comic Sans MS&quot;;\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Comic Sans MS&quot;;\">Pero tras analizar el tema, personalmente debo llegar ineludiblemente a una conclusi\u00f3n: <b style=\"\"><span style=\"color: rgb(51, 102, 255);\">si bien el crecimiento demogr\u00e1fico es una inevitable constante de todas las grandes civilizaciones conocidas, tambi\u00e9n lo es que la explotaci\u00f3n de recursos requerida atentaba contra la naturaleza, generando fragilidad frente a las perturbaciones ambientales extremas<\/span><\/b>, como las sequ\u00edas excepcionales (altamente improbables), <b style=\"\"><span style=\"color: rgb(51, 102, 255);\">para las cuales la memoria hist\u00f3rica de los pueblos falla<\/span><\/b>. <o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Comic Sans MS&quot;;\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Comic Sans MS&quot;;\"><o:p>&nbsp;<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/blogs\/universo\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/42\/files\/255\/o_Civilizaci%C3%B3n%20Maya2.gif\" height=\"292\" width=\"441\"><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Comic Sans MS&quot;;\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt; font-family: &quot;Comic Sans MS&quot;; color: blue;\">Civilizaci\u00f3n Maya Recreaci\u00f3n. Fuente:<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt; font-family: Arial;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/christykeeler.com\/BlogFiles\/Yoder_Maya_VM.ppt\">christykeeler.com\/BlogFiles\/\/Yoder_Maya_VM.ppt<\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 8pt; font-family: &quot;Comic Sans MS&quot;;\"><o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Comic Sans MS&quot;;\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Comic Sans MS&quot;;\">Con independencia de la cosmovisi\u00f3n y creencias de las civilizaciones, <b style=\"\"><span style=\"color: rgb(51, 102, 255);\">el desarrollo tecnol\u00f3gico y el incremento de la poblaci\u00f3n cambian, ineludiblemente las reglas del juego<\/span><\/b>. Las dinast\u00edas son otro factor a tener en cuenta. No todas act\u00faan de igual forma. <b style=\"\"><span style=\"color: rgb(51, 102, 255);\">Conforme a los ciudadanos se les secuestran sus derechos, por parte de oligarqu\u00edas jer\u00e1rquicas, las tradiciones tienden a perderse para el beneficio de unos pocos y el mal de muchos<\/span><\/b>. Sin embargo, es una <b style=\"\"><span style=\"color: rgb(51, 102, 255);\">constante hist\u00f3rica<\/span><\/b> y hasta la <b style=\"\"><span style=\"color: rgb(51, 102, 255);\">Teor\u00eda de Juegos<\/span><\/b>, nos informa de que parece una ley ineludible. Resumiendo, <b style=\"\"><span style=\"color: rgb(51, 102, 255);\">el en el germen de las civilizaciones y su propio \u00e9xito, puede residir su fatal destino<\/span><\/b>. De ser as\u00ed, sobre la nuestra planean m\u00e1s que serios nubarrones. <o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Comic Sans MS&quot;;\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Comic Sans MS&quot;;\">No obstante, <b style=\"\"><span style=\"color: rgb(51, 102, 255);\">en contraposici\u00f3n a la informaci\u00f3n que suministramos en el post anterior<\/span><\/b> (que me sac\u00f3 de quicio), el Paleobot\u00e1nico <b style=\"\"><span style=\"color: rgb(51, 102, 255);\">David Lentz nos ofrece un escenario m\u00e1s plausible y menos arrogante<\/span><\/b>. <span style=\"\">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span><span style=\"\">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span><o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Comic Sans MS&quot;;\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><i style=\"\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;\">Some of the key questions that remain are <\/span><\/i><i style=\"\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;\" lang=\"EN-GB\">how did the <b style=\"\"><span style=\"color: rgb(51, 102, 255);\">Maya control their water resources<\/span><\/b>, when did the <b style=\"\"><span style=\"color: rgb(51, 102, 255);\">deforestation<\/span><\/b> occur, what trees were used when, did the Maya plant large orchards and where were the sacred groves. \u201c<b style=\"\"><span style=\"color: green;\">We\u2019re saying in the end they were unsuccessful,\u201d says Lentz. \u201cBut they kept it going for several hundreds of years \u2014 so they must have done some things right.<\/span><\/b>\u201d<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Comic Sans MS&quot;;\" lang=\"EN-GB\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Comic Sans MS&quot;;\">Traduciendo del suahili, <b style=\"\"><span style=\"color: rgb(51, 102, 255);\">La civilizaci\u00f3n Maya imper\u00f3 en centro Am\u00e9rica durante cientos de a\u00f1os, por lo cual, como argumenta el autor, no debieron hacer las cosas tan mal<\/span><\/b>. <b style=\"\"><span style=\"color: rgb(51, 102, 255);\">No se puede tildar de insustentable a una cultura<\/span><\/b> que cambia con el tiempo, pero <b style=\"\"><span style=\"color: rgb(51, 102, 255);\">que persiste durante siglos<\/span><\/b>. <b style=\"\"><span style=\"color: rgb(51, 102, 255);\">El colapso de un pueblo no puede justificar si m\u00e1s que sus pr\u00e1cticas fueran insostenibles<\/span><\/b>. Gran parte de nuestras afirmaciones (que de hecho son meras suposiciones) sobre la cultura maya, la mesopot\u00e1mica y otras (regad\u00edos que se salinizan, deforestaciones que desertifican), etc., etc., son meras conjeturas. Empero de ser ciertas, no deber\u00edamos re\u00edrnos, ya que nos informan que la nuestra va directamente al matadero, pero arrastrando tras de si la mayor parte de la biosfera, no un peque\u00f1o fragmento de la misma, como hasta ahora. Quiz\u00e1 El Imperio Chino sobreviva (como ha dejado constancia durante muchos milenios, a pasar de los enormes cambios sufridos en breves lapsos de tiempo), pero ese ya es otro tema. <span style=\"\">&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span><o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Comic Sans MS&quot;;\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Comic Sans MS&quot;;\">Finalizaremos a\u00f1adiendo que, <b style=\"\"><span style=\"color: rgb(51, 102, 255);\">tanto los mayas, como sus antecesores, sab\u00edan sobradamente el valor de los policultivos, realizar enmiendas org\u00e1nicas adecuadas, aterrazar colinas, construir embalses y canalizaciones, etc<\/span><\/b>. Y a pesar de todo (\u2026). En biolog\u00eda, las especies m\u00e1s complejas morfol\u00f3gica y evolutivamente son las que tienden a extinguirse m\u00e1s r\u00e1pidamente, siendo reemplazadas por otras. \u00bfOcurrir\u00e1 lo mismo con las civilizaciones humanas?<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Comic Sans MS&quot;;\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Comic Sans MS&quot;;\" lang=\"EN-GB\">Ver tambi\u00e9n: <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Comic Sans MS&quot;;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.sciencedaily.com\/releases\/2007\/11\/071114200920.htm\"><span style=\"\" lang=\"EN-GB\">Maya Politics Likely Played Role In Ancient Large-game Decline<\/span><\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Comic Sans MS&quot;;\" lang=\"EN-GB\"><o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Comic Sans MS&quot;;\" lang=\"EN-GB\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Comic Sans MS&quot;; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);\" lang=\"EN-GB\">Juanjo Ib\u00e1\u00f1ez<span style=\"\">&nbsp; <\/span><o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Comic Sans MS&quot;;\" lang=\"EN-GB\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Comic Sans MS&quot;;\" lang=\"EN-GB\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: center;\" align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.sciencedaily.com\/releases\/2009\/07\/090722150825.htm\">Ancient Maya Practiced Forest Conservation 3,000 Years Ago<\/a><o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b style=\"\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: green;\">ScienceDaily (July 23, 2009)<\/span><\/b><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;\"> \u2014 As published in the July issue of the <b style=\"\"><span style=\"color: rgb(51, 102, 255);\">Journal of Archaeological Science<\/span><\/b>, <b style=\"\"><span style=\"color: rgb(51, 102, 255);\">paleoethnobotanist David Lentz <\/span><\/b>of the University of Cincinnati has concluded that <b style=\"\"><span style=\"color: green;\">not only did the Maya people practice forest management, but when they abandoned their forest conservation practices it was to the detriment of the entire Maya culture<\/span><\/b>.<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;\" lang=\"EN-GB\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;\" lang=\"EN-GB\">\u201cFrom our research w<b style=\"\"><span style=\"color: green;\">e have learned that the Maya were deliberately conserving forest resources<\/span><\/b>,\u201d says David Lentz, a professor of biological sciences at the <\/span><st1:place><st1:placetype><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;\" lang=\"EN-GB\">University<\/span><\/st1:placetype><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;\" lang=\"EN-GB\">  of <\/span><st1:placename><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;\" lang=\"EN-GB\">Cincinnati<\/span><\/st1:placename><\/st1:place><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;\" lang=\"EN-GB\"> and executive director of the <\/span><st1:place><st1:placename><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;\" lang=\"EN-GB\">Cincinnati<\/span><\/st1:placename><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;\" lang=\"EN-GB\">  <\/span><st1:placetype><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;\" lang=\"EN-GB\">Center<\/span><\/st1:placetype><\/st1:place><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;\" lang=\"EN-GB\"> for Field Studies. <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;\">\u201c<b style=\"\"><span style=\"color: rgb(51, 102, 255);\">Their deliberate conservation practices can be observed in the wood they used for construction and this observation is reinforced by the pollen record<\/span><\/b>.\u201d<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;\">The UC team is the first North American team allowed to work at the <b style=\"\"><span style=\"color: rgb(51, 102, 255);\">Tikal site core in northern Guatemala in more than 40 years<\/span><\/b>. The UC team is unique in other ways as well. Whereas <b style=\"\"><span style=\"color: rgb(51, 102, 255);\">previous archaeological excavations reflected an interest in <\/span><\/b>culture history, particularly of the elites, researchers\u2019 interests are different in the 21st century.<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;\">\u201cForty years ago the emphasis was on what king built what palace, who slew whom and who is portrayed on what stelae. It\u2019s all about the rulers and their exploits,\u201d says Lentz. \u201c<b style=\"\"><span style=\"color: rgb(51, 102, 255);\">They didn\u2019t look at the economy, agricultural practices, forest management or how the people and the culture functioned<\/span><\/b>.\u201d<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;\">And what the UC team has learned by studying these processes is that <b style=\"\"><span style=\"color: green;\">the Maya, at least initially, were practicing good forestry management<\/span><\/b>.<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;\">\u201cThey were not allowed to cut down what<b style=\"\"><span style=\"color: green;\"> we\u2019re calling the \u2018sacred groves,<\/span><\/b>\u2019\u201d says Lentz. \u201c<b style=\"\"><span style=\"color: rgb(51, 102, 255);\">Then that changed during the Late Classic period with Jasaw Chan K\u2019awiil \u2014<\/span><\/b> one of the greatest figures of prehistory.<b style=\"\"><span style=\"color: rgb(51, 102, 255);\"> <\/span><\/b>The Tikal Maya had been beaten up and had fallen to second-rate status prior to his ascendancy. Jasaw Chan K\u2019awiil led an army to the heartland of a competing city, Calakmul, captured their ruler, bound him, brought him back and sacrificed him \u2014 and it totally reversed their fortunes in a very dramatic way.\u201d<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b style=\"\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: green;\">After that, the Maya rebuilt the city of Tikal in a way never seen before. They begin building huge temples that required considerable resources, especially large, straight trees whose wood could withstand the weight of tons of stone. Their choices were limited to two types of trees only<\/span><\/b><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;\">.<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;\">\u201c<b style=\"\"><span style=\"color: rgb(51, 102, 255);\">So, unfortunately, <\/span><\/b>Jasaw Chan K\u2019awiil tapped into their sacred groves to do this,\u201d says Lentz<b style=\"\"><span style=\"color: rgb(51, 102, 255);\">. The stands of virgin timber were more than 200 years old in some areas. After building a few of the temples, the Maya ran out of timber from the <\/span><span style=\"color: green;\">Manilkara zapota (sapodilla) tree,<\/span><span style=\"color: rgb(51, 102, 255);\"> so they switched to an inferior tree \u2014<\/span><span style=\"color: green;\">Haematoxylon campechianum<\/span><span style=\"color: rgb(51, 102, 255);\">, logwood or inkwood \u2014 which is found in swamps<\/span><\/b>.<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;\">\u201c<b style=\"\"><span style=\"color: green;\">Sapodilla<\/span><\/b> is soft when you first cut it, so it can be carved into beautiful, intricate shapes. Yet when it dries, it is as hard as iron,\u201d Lentz explains. \u201cLogwood, on the other hand, is like iron to start with and stays that way.\u201d<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b style=\"\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: green;\">Logwood<\/span><\/b><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;\"> often is very crooked and grows to much lesser heights \u2014 so the archways in the temples built with logwood were far less ornate. Temples 1 through 4 are quite large, with temple 4 having the largest lintels, the beams over the doorways. Temples 5 and 6 (built in the middle \u2014 the temples are not numbered in order of construction) are much smaller.<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;\">\u201c<b style=\"\"><span style=\"color: green;\">For the last temple (temple 3), they went back to sapodilla \u2014 why?<\/span><\/b>\u201d says Lentz. \u201c<b style=\"\"><span style=\"color: rgb(51, 102, 255);\">Perhaps they had replanted after their sacred groves had been cleared of their timber. After 40 years you get a tree big enough with which to build<\/span><\/b>.<b style=\"\"><span style=\"color: rgb(51, 102, 255);\"> Also, at that point, things were beginning to go downhill for the Maya. <\/span><\/b><\/span><b style=\"\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);\" lang=\"EN-GB\">Perhaps they reasoned that <\/span><\/b><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;\" lang=\"EN-GB\">the gods didn\u2019t like the new style of temple and they needed to return to the construction style of earlier, and more prosperous, times.\u201d <\/span><b style=\"\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);\">So what led to the downfall of the Maya?<\/span><\/b><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;\"> Whether it was the gods\u2019 displeasure or not, <b style=\"\"><span style=\"color: rgb(51, 102, 255);\">the answer came from the heavens<\/span><\/b>.<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;\">\u201c<b style=\"\"><span style=\"color: green;\">When you clear all the forests, it changes the hydrologic cycle<\/span><\/b>,\u201d says Lentz. \u201c<b style=\"\"><span style=\"color: green;\">The world is like a flat surface with all the trees acting as sponges on it. The trees absorb the water. Without the trees, there is no buffer to stop the water from runoff. That causes soil erosion, which then chokes the rivers and streams. <\/span><\/b><\/span><b style=\"\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: green;\" lang=\"EN-GB\">With no trees, you lose water retention in the soil or aquifers so the ground dries up and then there is less transpiration, so therefore less rainfall as well.\u201d In addition to using the trees as timber, the Maya also burned the trees<\/span><\/b><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;\" lang=\"EN-GB\">, adding carbon to the air in the form of carbon dioxide. <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;\">Trees remove carbon dioxide from the air and return oxygen in its place, thus cleaning and purifying the air.<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;\">\u201c<b style=\"\"><span style=\"color: green;\">Forests provide many benefits to society<\/span><\/b>,\u201d says Lentz. <b style=\"\"><span style=\"color: rgb(51, 102, 255);\">\u201cThe Maya forests provided timber, fuel, food, fiber and medicine in addition to the ecosystem services of cleansing the air and water. Just as forests provided essential resources for the ancient Maya, the same is true for our civilization today<\/span><\/b>.\u201d<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;\">A UC research team, which will again include archaeologist Vern Scarborough and geographer Nick Dunning, will be returning to Tikal in February 2010. <\/span><b style=\"\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: green;\" lang=\"EN-GB\">Some of the key questions that remain are how did the Maya control their water resources, when did the deforestation occur, what trees were used when, did the Maya plant large orchards and where were the sacred groves. \u201cWe\u2019re saying in the end they were unsuccessful,<\/span><\/b><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;\" lang=\"EN-GB\">\u201d says Lentz. <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;\">\u201c<b style=\"\"><span style=\"color: green;\">But they kept it going for several hundreds of years \u2014 so they must have done some things right.\u201d<\/span><\/b><o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;\">This research was funded by grants from WennerGren and National Science Foundation award #0810118.<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Nota para los m\u00e1s asiduos a esta bit\u00e1cora: A partir de hoy hasta la \u00faltima semana de noviembre, estaremos de viaje, por lo que las fechas de los post (que se inscriben cuando el art\u00edculo se introduce en la Web) no corresponder\u00e1n con la del d\u00eda en que se editen). Se dieron confusiones anteriores y deseamos evitarlas en esta ocasi\u00f3n. Las pr\u00f3ximas diez entregas ya han sido incorporadas al sistema. Saludos. &nbsp; En un post anterior: \u201cEl Declive de la Civilizaci\u00f3n Maya a Debate\u201d, ya debatimos como, a veces, los investigadores de los \u00e1mbitos de la arqueolog\u00eda y geoarqueolog\u00eda, analizan\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0},"categories":[603,584,599,613],"tags":[],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":4}},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.madrimasd.org\/blogs\/universo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128108"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.madrimasd.org\/blogs\/universo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.madrimasd.org\/blogs\/universo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.madrimasd.org\/blogs\/universo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/26"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.madrimasd.org\/blogs\/universo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=128108"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.madrimasd.org\/blogs\/universo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128108\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":135032,"href":"https:\/\/www.madrimasd.org\/blogs\/universo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128108\/revisions\/135032"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.madrimasd.org\/blogs\/universo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=128108"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.madrimasd.org\/blogs\/universo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=128108"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.madrimasd.org\/blogs\/universo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=128108"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}