Question

What were the consequences of the agricultural limitations according to Diamond?

A. Maya cities remained small, mostly less than one square mile in area and populations less than 50,000 people.
B. There was limited duration and distance possible for their military campaigns.
C. Maya society remained politically divided among small kingdoms that would go in and out of conflict with each other.
D. A Maya farmer could produce only twice the needs of himself and his family, so at least 70% of Maya society consisted of peasant farmers to supply enough food for their entire society.

Answer 1

The agricultural limitations led to small, politically fragmented Maya cities with a majority of the population dedicated to farming, limiting wider societal development and making them vulnerable to environmental challenges.

Step-by-step explanation:

According to Diamond, the agricultural limitations had significant consequences for the Maya civilization. For instance, the Maya cities remained relatively small due to these limitations, with populations typically under 50,000 people, and these cities were politically fragmented into numerous small kingdoms often in conflict. Additionally, the agricultural productivity was such that a Maya farmer could typically produce only about twice what his family needed, leading to a society where the majority were peasant farmers. This high percentage of the population engaged in farming to meet food demands limited the potential for societal development in other areas, such as in sustained military expansion, because engaging in longer-distance campaigns would take manpower away from essential agricultural work. Furthermore, such a high reliance on agriculture made the Maya highly vulnerable to environmental changes and crop failures, contributing to their eventual decline and restructuring of their civilization.