▶ Your Answer :
In the lecture, the speaker contends that the reason why the Mayan Empire collapsed is unknown. This contradicts the reading passage's assertion that the fall of Mayan Empire is because of a peasant revolt, a change of the trade routes, or an epidemic.
First of all, the lecturer argues that the Mayan Empire did not fall because of the revolution. This is because there is no record about the revolution at that time, nonetheless the Mayans have a very delicate writing system. In addition, Mayan had a decentralized government and separate rulers, so the collapse of the one city would not have affected others. This opposes the reading's claim that a peasant revolt caused the collapse of the Maya society.
Secondly, the speaker points out that the sudden change of the Mayan trade routes is not the cause of the destruction. Teotihuacan which was the major urban center in 6th centuries played an important role in the period prior to the Mayan collapse. This casts doubt on the reading's claim that the destruction of trade hub is the main reason of the collapse.
Finally, the lecturer says that the spread of diseases cannot be the main reason of the collapse of the Mayan Empire in 12th centuries. The wide spread of an epidemic happened in 16th centuries when the Spanish invaded Central America. Also, there is no evidence of mass deaths at the time of the collapse of the Maya. This argues against the reading's assertion that an epidemic can be responsible for the destruction of the Maya.
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