Investigating paleoenvironmental dynamics and sustainability during the Classic Maya “Collapse” using multi-proxy zooarchaeological stable isotopic analysis

This paper was presented at the YRA Workshop 2026 in Reykjavík.

The sociopolitical decline of the southern lowland Maya during the Terminal Classic period (c.750–900 CE) remains one of the most debated topics in Maya archaeology, with environmental degradation frequently proposed as a major contributing factor. This study evaluates that model through multi-proxy zooarchaeological stable isotope analysis from the Valley of Peace Archaeology Project (VOPA) region in central Belize. Stable carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen isotope analyses of wild animal bone and tooth are used to reconstruct forest habitat integrity, vegetation cover, agricultural land use, and regional climatic conditions, including seasonality and precipitation.
By integrating long-term bone isotope signatures with shorter-term serial intra-tooth enamel records, this study investigates both broad human–environment relationships across 1,400 years and finer-scale seasonal environmental variation. In addition to white-tailed deer, peccaries are examined as supplementary paleoenvironmental indicators of forest and climate dynamics. Results from deer bone isotopes show little evidence for major diachronic changes in forest vegetation density or maize production, suggesting relative environmental stability. Serial enamel records indicate increasing seasonal dryness and climatic fluctuation between c.600–900 CE. These findings refine climate-collapse narratives by emphasizing the role of culturally mediated human–animal–environment relationships in shaping Maya responses to environmental stress.

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