USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -The Maya were farmers and fed their people through agriculture. One of the main ways they made room for their fields was through the slash-and-burn method, where they cut down all the trees and foliage in an area and burned what was left. Then, they planted their crops.

Detailed explanation-2: -The Maya deforested large swathes of land, cutting down trees in order to plant fields of corn, for firewood and for building their monumental temples. When a massive drought struck around 900 A.D., it’s believed the society did not have the forests and other resources to fall back on, leading to the end of an empire.

Detailed explanation-3: -The Maya cleared the forests to grow corn and other crops, but they also needed the trees for cooking large amounts of lime plaster used in constructing their elaborate cities.

Detailed explanation-4: -The ancient Maya built a sophisticated rainwater collection system. This system supplied inhabitants with enough water for several months.

Detailed explanation-5: -Slash and burn agriculture is a widely used method of growing food in which wild or forested land is clear cut and any remaining vegetation burned. The resulting layer of ash provides the newly-cleared land with a nutrient-rich layer to help fertilize crops.