The Fall of the Ancient Maya: Solving the Mystery of the Maya Collapse

'At last a well-informed, excitingly written, and thoroughly convincing solution to an age-old mystery: what caused the downfall of Classic Maya culture? Webster had drawn on his extensive and deep knowledge of world civilizations to throw light on one of history's greatest demographic tragedies' - Michael D. Coe, author of Breaking the Maya Code and Reading the Maya Glyphs. 'Eloquent, closely argued and authoritative, this is a comprehensive and up-to-date survey of one of archaeology's great mysteries. Everyone interested in the ancient Maya and in the volatility of pre-industrial civilizations should read this timely book' - Brian M. Fagan, author of The Great Journey and Floods, Famines and Emperors. 'Brilliantly evokes a period that is the mirror of our age... Webster draws on decades of fieldwork and a longstanding interest in social conflict to sketch a subtle and rich account that could not have been written even ten years ago' - Stephen Houston, author of Reading the Past: Maya Glyphs and Royal Courts of the Ancient Maya.