The thin broken line. history, society, and the environment on the Yucatan Peninsula

Abstract

This chapter begins by describing the formation of the Yucatan Peninsula. It continues with the arrival of human beings, the growth of Mayan civilization to its peak about 1000 CE, and its decline until the arrival of the Spanish in the sixteenth century. A summary of the effects of three centuries of colonial rule is provided followed by the first one hundred and fifty years after independence from Spain (1821 to 1970). Emphasis is placed on the relations between private/communal property and the commodification of the forests, land, and water of the Maya. In the modern period (1970-2020) the environmental impacts of five processes are described: privatization of property; proliferation of extensive cattle ranching; urbanization; occupation of the coasts; and demographic changes. It concludes with a rapid assessment of the contemporary regional development model that includes analyses of poverty, ethnic identity of the Maya, oil exploitation, tourism, urban sprawl, and changes in consumption patterns.