A new study published in the journal Antiquity, reveals a new factor in the collapse of the Mayan Empire.  You can now add ‘bad economy’ to social unrest, disease, warfare, drought and deforestation.

The bad economy was due to a shift away from inland centers of business, to coastal centers.  Researchers at the University of Illinois say the main product the Mayan’s traded was obsidian.  It was used for making tools, as the Mesoamericans had not yet learned how to make metals strong enough for tools.

Researchers say Mayan maps show that the obsidian, and other products, were increasingly sent to coastal areas for trade.  They are not sure why, but speculate that military/political/social/environmental problems inland could be factors. Also, methods to ship over water probably improved.

I think they are correct, because if you study the demise of the Islamic Caliphate you realize that it was a combination of internal political disputes and, mainly, the ability of the Europeans to sail directly to Asia, thus avoiding the traditional Silk Road.

The invasion of North Africa by Napoleon, and finally the demise of the Ottoman Empire, were only the end result of a long period of decline for the Muslim Empire.

From the beginning of the Caliphate there were always internal problems arising out of differences of opinions as to how the Empire should be run, but that’s typical with all societies. The true cause of their collapse is economic. The Muslim Empire controlled most of the famous Silk Road trade routes, and the Christian Crusades were attempts by Europeans to regain a piece of that pie (of which they had since the time of Alexander the Great, forget the rhetoric about religion and god).

It actually began in earnest when the Portuguese, followed by the British and Dutch, were able to finally sail around Africa to the point where the Silk Road actually began, in a sense cutting out the middle men who controlled the trade routes through the Muslim Empire.

What’s been going on since the discovery of oil in the Middle East, is an attempt by Western societies to maintain control of the region, and prevent the locals (who have radically different ideas about politics/religion/economics) from regaining a position of economic power.

So, as usual, most wars are economic, that is, an attempt to monopolize international trade. As one infamous U.S. President said, before he became president: “It’s the economy, stupid!”-Campaign slogan created for Bill Clinton, by James Carville, criticizing then U.S. President George H.W. Bush