Abstract
The Maya civilization developed over a wide area of Mesoamerica, from the wooded regions of Peten and Chiapas to the lowlands of the Yucatan peninsula. Throughout the Maya country, rainfall follows a marked seasonal cycle, wet in summer and dry in winter, caused by the latitudinal migration of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). Nevertheless, access to fresh water is often difficult both in the high tropical jungle zones and on the Yucatan karst plateau. This region is characterized by the absence of surface rivers, compensated for by a network of interconnected natural wells (cenotes).
Maya civilization lasted over four millennia, reaching its apogee in the 1st millennium AD, characterized by the emergence of numerous city-states in competition with one another. The recent use of airborne lidar has revolutionized the study of Mayan sites, making it possible to map inaccessible areas beneath the rainforest. This recent archaeological research has revealed a landscape modified on a massive scale by intensive agriculture designed to feed a large population, whose estimates have been revised upwards (around 10 million).
