▶ Topic :The reading passage lists three theories which explain why and how the Maya Empire collapsed. However, the speaker contradicts the points given by the reading.
To begin with, according to the article, Maya Empire collapsed because of social turmoil. At that time, peasants were exploited to build great monuments and buildings in Maya cities. Furthermore, some temples and thrones were destroyed through social turmoil at the similar point. Conversely, the lecturer argues that there has been no record about turmoil although Maya Empire had had great writing system. Plus, each part of regions had their own government. It is not plausible for small region to extend their revolution to all regions.
On top of that, it is also argued that changing to the trade routes lead Maya empire to collapse due to destruction of Teotihuacan. People could not get living stuffs, basic goods and food resources as the trade routes were suddenly altered at that time. On the other hand, the speaker claims that this statement is not true. Teotihuacan was closed as the population in this region declined with low economic importance.
Lastly, the reading passage points out that the epidemic was the reason for collapse of Maya Empire. The tropical climate in Maya empire, which was ideal for living parasites which caused epidemic such as yellow fever and malaria. On the contrary, the professor says that there was no evidence about this. This epidemic took place about 16 century, which means that people from Maya empire were not exposed by the epidemic more previously than the point of empire collapse.
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