How did the Maya adapt to their environment?

Question

How did the Maya adapt to their environment?

Answer 1

In the Yucatan peninsula there are no rivers on the surface, there is a huge underground river system (so what friend up there says is not true).

I can tell you a little about the agriculture, this might help.  Since the Yucatan Peninsula (not the only place of the Mayan civilization, the Jungles and mountains of Chiapas and Guatemala are also part of the mayas, and terraces were made there to catch the water) is made of a limestone platform, there is very little topsoil.

In order to find enough food for everyone, mayas would burn an area (leaving the big trees in order to let osprey sit and hunt the birds and rodents that might eat the crops) and then plant (and still do) beans, pumkin and corn in the same place.  The corn (staple food) would take nitrogen from the soil, which beans help fix back.  The pumkin patch will make a carpet that retains enough humidity for the crop.

It is planted on the first rain of the year (around may or june) and harvested around october.  Afterwards the crop is relocated to another area.

Usually a town would have ten places, nine resting and one planted.

Hope this helps, but it is a very complex and long answer for this question.

Answer 2

Read the text.

Answer 3

One of the most interesting things about Mayans is that where they lived on the Yucatan peninsula, there are and were no lakes or rivers. All of their fresh water was gotten from rain, and deep caves which trapped the rain.