Students Name: Professor name: Course: Date: Introduction In art, the concerned themes are usually tackled in a wide segment and may include general life, community, or human behavior (Koter & Darja, 299-308). During the civilization of the Classic Maya, sculptures, stela, were used to denote events that took place throughout the kingdom from the rise to the fall of eras. Different authors have come up with different explanations using stela to explain the declination abandonment of the Classic Maya (Fash 173-183 & Graham 219). Fash uses drawings of Schele to explain the fall of ‘Classic Maya’. The drawings are of Altar L of Copan and Stela II. Stella II depicts Yax Pahsaj, the then ruler of the Maya Culture. There is a smoking Axe on his forehead that symbolizes his elevation of the status of God K, the Maya Kings patron, and the royal lineage (Houston 57). There is a shell, where he stands on, which symbolizes the watery underworld where he resided after death. Fash uses this sculpture to support his explanation of the fall of the civilization through the noble revolt. The revolt leads to the killings of all sons and this may have resulted in the decline of the Maya population a major role that helped in its demise. He further believes that Yax Pahsaj may have been caught in the revolt, hence supporting his loose of grip in the power and finally his death as shown on the watery underworld he stands on (Koter & Darja 190). On the other hand, the Altar L is incomplete, for it’s only carved on the front side (south) whereas the back side (north) is unfinished. It depicts two facing seated Lords separated by a column of three glyphs. There is a text that reads “Seating of the ruler” as read by Nikolai Globe and Linda Schele, 10 February AD 822 (Fash, 178). One of the seated Lords is Yax Pahsaj, to the right, and unknown figure to the left seated on two glyphs with inscribing text “Patron of Flint” as read by Glube and Schele. The two facing lords depict an inter-ethnic conflict proving that the nobles had lost trust in their then ruler, Yax Pahsaj. The figure on the right is situated on the place deemed for the right founder of the Maya kingdom as it is the same as occupied by its original founder, Yax K’uk Mo’ on Altar Q (Fash, 178). With this, he supports the fall of the civilization of the Classic Maya. He further explains that the lack of political unification caused both in the material world that is the tremendous transport and logistics problem hindering large scale can the Maya lowlands and in the social and religious constructs of the Maya culture. It shows that the culture was simply not well adapted to urbanization or to the building empire. The religious and political subsystems focused on ancestors worship and rule of exploitation, thus did not provide an integrated mechanism of power to conquer the local rivalries. He goes on to support his explanation the declination of the dynasty. One of the most dramatic collapses was the classic Maya of the century. The Classic Maya Civilization fell into a permanent decline in order some huge cities were left out to ruins (Mark, 18 October 2014). In the case of Maya collapse, many facts were presented as to why the collapse of Maya. They included diseases, social revolution, drought, famine, foreign invasion, overpopulation, earthquakes, and disruptions of trade routes. From the mid to late 8th Century the states deteriorated, there was a declined in trade and increased in armed conflicts. The collapse of Maya was neither unique-smaller due to the fact that large areas are becoming completely depopulated and the loyal dynasties and the cities disappearing without a knowhow to trace them. However, we do not know about the Maya civilization, as different guesses and interpretations try to give general reasons for the collapse. There is no major accuracy that the population figures are the late classic period; neither do we know exactly how the Maya carried out farming, how the production in agriculture was handled and if the trade was regional, cross-cultural or local. Maya collapse is certainty featured by expensive building projects, unproductive wars, and overexploitation of natural resources. Generally, the increase of population lead to deforestation in some areas, the routine use of foods in the Maya buildings caused the running out of the resources availability. We can say that the three factors lead to the collapse of Maya is warfare between city-states, overpopulation, and drought. The funny enough the factors were found all together in a single state city. Overpopulation may well have put the unbearable strain on the side of production of agriculture and the Maya was incapable of managing or ruling. More sites show that the Maya cities and some settlements were much more heavily populated than previously imagined. However, not all cities suffered from the drought since some of the lakes and rivers never dried up completely. The regions which did suffer the lack of rain and water shortage made it entirely conceivable for the farmers. There has been the threat from the military in foreign states. The invasion theory is many archeological finds, notably at Seibal. However, such evidence seems sparse to what one would expect to find of the collapse were down to foreign invasion. In conclusion, the most reasonable explanation for the Maya Classic collapse is a combination of connected factors, warfare, social disorder, overpopulation and bad climatic conditions. However, the Classic Maya collapse was not the end of the Maya culture. Some parts of the northern cities survived and even today some people speak Mayan in Mesoamerica. The Maya culture suffered the terrible blow but never disappeared completely. The declination and abandonment of the Classic Maya as explained by Fash is generally based on the noble revolt and the lack of political and social unification. And with the used sculptures being unfinished is a clear indication of a fallen dynasty.  Work Cited Top of Form Bottom of Form Cartwright, Mark. The Classic Maya Collapse. Ancient History Encyclopedia, 18 October 2014, https://www.ancient.eu/article/759/the-classic-maya collapse/. Accessed 20 April 2O18. Fash, B. W. (2012). The Political Collapse and Its Aftermath. Ancient Mesoamerica, 3(1), 173–183. Web. Houston, Stephen D, and Takeshi Inomata. The Classic Maya. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010. Houston, Stephen D. Function and Meaning in Classic Maya Architecture: A Symposium at Dumbarton Oaks, 7th and 8th October 2008. Washington, DC: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, 2008. Internet resource. Koter, Darja. "Musical Symbols: The Symbiosis of Religious and Secular Themes in Art Heritage." Muzikoloski Zbornik - Musicological Annual 50.2 (2014): 299-308. Web. Proskouriakoff, Tatiana. A Study of Classic Maya Sculpture. Mansfield Centre, CT: Martino Pub, 2007. Print. SURNAME 4