Show j cien a at t c n er V e D e Science Service Service Mayan Empire May a Have ave Been een Wrecked by hy Social Upheaval Philadelphia A A A violent social social social so so- cial upheaval with thrones literally literally literally lit lit- shattered may have wrecked Americas America's mysterious old empire of the Mayas which flowered so magnificently in the tropics long before Columbus I This Tills new scientific theory brought back from Guat Guatemala mala by byan byan byan an expedition of the University of Pennsylvania museum and partly financed by the American Philosophical Philosophical Philo Philo- society shows the peaceful peaceful peace I ful fur and highly civilized Mayan Indians in warlike phase Archeologists Archeologists have long been mystified by bythe bythe bythe the curious break in their civilization civilization civilization tion when many stone cities in Central Central Central Cen Cen- America were abandoned Their center of civilization shifted northward to Yucatan I Many scientists long have felt that it was inability of the Mayan Indians to cope with the enveloping enveloping enveloping envelop envelop- ing jungle or some coher t her natural natural natural nat nat- ural force that led them to abandon abandon abandon aban aban- don elaborate temples and palaces said eaid Linton Jr field director of the expedition I The expedition which returned to Piedras Negras a deserted city that previous university museum expeditions expeditions expeditions found well wen worth exploring has unearthed new evidence to confirm confirm confirm con con- firm a suspicion that damage to thrones in sacred palaces was done by human vengeance not merely by time and weather Parts of thrones were even found buried in the jungles jungles jungles jun jun- away from the palaces showing showing showing show show- ing that human hands had moved them Basis of the New T Theory i 1 I Explaining the scientific reasoning reason- reason t ling jing ing which leads the expedition to dei de- de i duce social upheaval in hi Mayan days Mr said The ancient Maya communities were not cities in the strict sense of the word but rather religious centers and the absence of kitchens I land and sleeping quarters in the palaces pals pal- pal s Jaces aces indicates that those structures I were used primarily for religious or civil ceremonies and were not w priestly residences as has been sup- sup posed Nevertheless they doubtless were erected at the instance of the i Priests who constituted the ruling class and it is logical to assume I that therefore such sacred build- build wigs lings would not have lost their appeal to the Mayas and their construction construction construe construe- tion lave been discontinued without without with with- out cut some change in the relationship relationship relationship relation relation- ship between n priests and laymen Possibly the change took the form of a violent social upheaval in which the priests themselves and andall all that they stood for were overthrown over over- thrown That we do not know of course But the discovery of evidence evidence evidence evi evi- evi- evi dence that human agencies played some part in the destruction and removal of sacr sacred d objects is For while that discovery does not solve by any means the mystery surrounding the fundamental causes I. I of the decline of Maya culture it iti suggests that violence resulted from i it those causes If so the abandonment abandonment abandonment abandon abandon- ment of the religious centers does r not Dot imply that the he people left their f r country immediately Thus the opinion of many scholars schol schol- t ors ars that mot the whole population left r the southern Old Empire country n. n under the leadership of their priests may be more justifiably questioned |