Mayan Perspective
Once upon a time, in the lush jungles of Mesoamerica, there was a civilization known as the Maya. We were a small group of people, but we were determined to make a better life for ourselves.
As we began to settle and build our communities, we made great strides in many areas of knowledge. We studied the stars and developed a sophisticated understanding of astronomy. We excelled in mathematics and built great cities with towering pyramids and intricate temples. We cleared the dense forests to make way for our crops, and in the process, we learned how to terrace the steep hillsides to make them more suitable for farming. We built complex irrigation systems to bring water to our fields.
Our cities were bustling with people and we fed them well with the bountiful crops we grew. We were proud of what we had accomplished and our civilization flourished.
But as our civilization grew, we began to cut down more and more trees. We used the wood for building materials and to clear more land for farming. And as the forests dwindled, the rains began to fail. Drought and famine became a common occurrence and our once-great cities began to fall into decline.
We started small, but we achieved great things. But in the end, our downfall was a result of our own hubris and our disregard for the balance of nature. Despite our best efforts, we could not reverse the damage we had done to our environment. The collapse of our civilization was inevitable. We were left with nothing but ruins, a reminder of what once was. But some of us, those who were able to adapt to the changing environment, managed to survive. We still live in small communities and continue to practice some of the traditions and knowledge that were passed down to us.
As we look back on the mistakes of our past, we hope that the current generation will learn from them and take action to save not just our localized systems, but the global system as well. We hope they will not repeat our mistakes, and that they will find a way to live in harmony with the natural world.