This article addresses Postclassic Maya population recovery in the aftermath of the collapse of Terminal Classic period political centers by 1100 CE in northern Yucatan, Mexico. While much has been written about the collapse of northern lowland Classic period Maya civilization by the eleventh century CE, we focus here on longer-term outcomes from a demographic perspective, during the Postclassic period (1150-1500 CE). We analyze survey data from the adjacent and sequential archaeological sites of Tichac and Mayapán to support three arguments. First, rural zones were populous prior to the northern collapse. Second, inhabitants of rural zones persisted during the cycle of political collapse and recovery. Third the ubiquity of Postclassic Maya settlements after the twelfth century CE suggests resiliency in the region marked by a rapid rate of sociopolitical regeneration and substantial (if partial) demographic recovery. We frame findings from our study area with broader evidence from regional archaeological settlement studies and early Colonial documents attesting to robust northern Maya populations at the time of European contact. We consider the important role of rural localities in fostering recovery by storing cultural knowledge, providing destinations for outmigration, and serving as hubs for long-term, cyclical regeneration of state society.

中文翻译：

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尤卡坦半岛北部崩溃后的后经典玛雅人口恢复和农村恢复力


本文讨论了公元 1100 年墨西哥尤卡坦半岛北部古典末期政治中心崩溃后的后古典玛雅人口恢复情况。虽然关于公元十一世纪北部低地古典时期玛雅文明崩溃的文章很多，但我们在这里从人口角度关注后古典时期（公元 1150-1500 年）的长期结果。我们分析了蒂查克和玛亚潘相邻且连续的考古遗址的调查数据，以支持三个论点。首先，在北方崩溃之前，农村地区人口稠密。其次，农村地区的居民在政治崩溃和恢复的循环中持续存在。第三，公元十二世纪之后后古典玛雅定居点的普遍存在表明该地区具有弹性，其特点是社会政治再生速度很快，人口数量大幅（如果是部分）恢复。我们利用区域考古定居点研究和早期殖民文献的更广泛证据来构建我们研究区域的发现，证明在欧洲接触时北部玛雅人口数量众多。我们认为农村地区通过储存文化知识、为人口外流提供目的地以及作为国家社会长期、周期性再生的中心，在促进复苏方面发挥着重要作用。