P
By 900, the Maya civilization in the southern
lowlands declines, possibly because of epidemic
disease, exhaustion of natural resources, or a
change in climate that adversely affects agri-
cultural yields. The Maya continue to flourish
in Yucatán until the beginning of the 16th cen-
tury. Already weakened by smallpox, ecological
changes, or civil war, the Yucatán Maya are subju-
gated by the Spanish after a series of invasions (see
entries for 1523 and for 1546). Although most of
their culture has disappeared, Maya dialects are
still spoken by more than 3 million descendants of
the Classic and Postclassic Maya. (See also entry
for 987.)“On that day, dust possesses
the earth;
On that day, a blight is on the
face of the earth;
On that day, a cloud rises,
On that day, a mountain rises,
On that day, a strong man
seizes the land,
On that day, things fall to ruin,
On that day, the tender leaf is
destroyed,
On that day, the dying eyes are
closed,
On that day, three signs are on
the tree,
On that day, three generations
hang there,
On that day, the battle flag is
raised,
And they are scattered afar in
the forests.”
—The Chilam Balam on the
decline of the Mayaca. 400 to 1300The Fremont tradition develops in
present-day Utah.
In what is now Utah and portions of Nevada, Colo-
rado, and Idaho, the Fremont culture emerges. The
Fremont peoples live in scattered villages, where
they adopt several traits of Anasazi culture (see en-
tries for CA. 200 B.C., A.D. 750, and for CA. 750
TO 1400), such as building subterranean pit houses,
making pottery, and cultivating maize. The ways of
life among these people vary widely according to the
natural resources available. Some live in sedentary
farming communities; others travel in small groups
in search of wild game and plants; still others al-
ternate between these food-getting strategies. The
Fremont culture is also characterized by anthro-
pomorphic clay figurines and rock paintings that
suggest shared religious beliefs. The tradition fades
in the 13th century, probably because of drought
conditions that make farming difficult and because
of competition from other groups who have moved
onto their lands.ca. 400 to 1500The Hohokam culture develops in
present-day Arizona.
In the desert area of what is now southern Arizona
and northern Mexico, the Hohokam tradition
evolves and dominates the region for more than one
thousand years. In the culture’s earliest years, vil-
lages are no more than clusters of several dwellings.
Over time, at such sites as Snaketown (see entry
for CA. 975 TO 1150), larger settlements grow up
with populations exceeding five hundred. Unlike
the contemporaneous Anasazi settlements in Chaco
Canyon (see entry for CA. 900 TO 1150), however,
these villages are probably economically and politi-
cally independent of one another.
Hohokam villages are characterized by platform
mounds and large ball courts, both of which may be
used for rituals. The ball courts may also function as
open-air markets, where traders from surroundingca. 400 to 1300