How did the mayans adapt to their environments?

Answer 1

The Mesoamerica societies were settled by people migrating from the land bridge that connected Siberia across the Bering Straits to Alaska. The earliest known people to settle in the America were the Olmecs. They settled in Guatemala, Belize on the Caribbean coast. They eventually learned Neolithic techniques and became a modest farming society. Little is known about their society except that statutes indicate they worshipped nature Gods. However, this early society was followed by the Mayans in the same regions of Mesoamerica.

Early Mayans developed a farming society that adapted to their environment in the rain forests of Guatemala. The planting consisted of their most important crop, maize or corn. They also cultivated beans, squash, peppers, avocados and papayas in this hot, tropical climate. The classical Maya society flourished from 300- 600 AD.

How were the Mayas so successful at farming in their environment? They developed a system of clearing the dense rain forests (slash and burn) and then built raised fields that caught and held rainwater. Accompanying the raised fields, were channels that could be opened to drain excess water. This allowed for further crop expansion to meet the needs of the population growth in the cities.