Climate Change Doomed the Early Mesoamerican City of Cantona

The modern world isn't the only one that's impacted by climate change. Scientists have reconstructed the past climate for a region around Cantona, a large fortified city in highland Mexico, and have found that a major population decline in the past is partially linked to climate change.

Cantona was one of the largest cities in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica. It had a population of 90,000 inhabitants and was located in a semiarid basin east of Mexico City.

In order to better understand the ruins of Cantona, the researchers analyzed pollen, stable isotopes and elemental concentrations, which serve was proxies of past climatic and environmental conditions from lake sediments in the region. More specifically, they collected 12-meter-long sediment cores from a nearby lake to establish the age control for the study. They also conducted radiocarbon dating to establish a time interview between 500 and 1150.

So what did they find? It turns out that there was a regional drought during this time period. This, in part, could explain the population decline.

"We found that Cantona's population grew in the initial phases of the drought, but by 1050 AD long-term environmental stress (the drought) contributed to the city's abandonment," said Susan Zimmerman, one of the researchers, in a news release. "Our research highlights the interplay of environmental and political factors in past human responses to climate change."

The findings reveal a bit more about the downfall of this city. This, in turn, shows how climate can play a huge role in terms to dictating how civilization flourishes.

The findings are published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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