THE FALL OF THE OLD EMPIRE. 461 
larly in the larger cities; but during the last four katuns of the Great Period 
from 9.18.0.0.0 to 10.2.0.0.0, when we get the last dates, there was probably 
a continuous movement of the people both to the north and to the south, a 
great outpouring from the Old Empire cities in both directions. 
Although we lack documentary evidence for this migration to the 
south, unless indeed the Popol Vuh or Sacred Book of the Quiché? and the 
Annals of the Cakchiquels* refer to an earlier period than now appears 
probable, there remains the indisputable linguistic fact that the Indians of 
the highlands of Guatemala to-day still speak dialects of the mother Maya 
tongue, morphologically probably no more distant one from another than 
the different branches of the Romance linguistic group—modern French, 
Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian. And to this must be added the direct 
archeological evidence of the Quen Santo stele, not more than 200 kilo- 
meters distant from Seibal in an air-line and only to years later than Stela 
I at that site chronologically, and finally a large body of ceramic material 
showing many Old Empire designs from all over the adjacent parts of the 
highlands of Guatemala. 
After 10.2.0.0.0 the region covered by the Old Empire was entirely 
abandoned, not to be reoccupied for another eight centuries, until the 
collapse of the New Empire about 1447, again set the Maya wandering 
over a large area in search of new homes for the third time within a period of 
1,500 years. 
Probably such a large movement of people as that of the Maya from 
the Old Empire region is not to be explained by any single cause, and possi- 
bly more than one of the hypotheses described may have contributed to the 
final result. 
The writer is well aware that the time has not yet come when general 
problems in the Maya field can be definitely settled. Not only is the evi- 
dence still incomplete, but also the interpretation of the data at hand is in 
some cases open to doubt and revision. Thus, for example, such a problem 
as the probable cause or causes which brought about the fall and extinction 
of the Old Empire civilization is incapable of exact solution in the present 
state of knowledge, too many factors being uncertain or even unknown. 
The hypotheses described, on the other hand, cover in their range the differ- 
ent causes which have been variously suggested to account for the archeo- 
logical fact, now generally recognized and already several times stated here, 
namely, the sudden cessation of the monumental series in the individual 
cities, but the gradual cessation over the area of the Old Empire as a whole. 


1 A similar situation arose in Guatemala after the great earthquake of 1773, which almost completely destroyed 
the capital of that country. The civil and military authorities were in favor of removing the seat of government to 
another valley, 25 kilometers farther east, to the present site of the capital. This step, however, was strongly 
opposed by the Church, because of its heavy property-holdings and investment, 43 large churches, monasteries, and 
convents alone, to say nothing of the many smaller buildings and elaborate equipment with which all were provided. 
Indeed, it was not until 3 years later, in 1776, that the new capital was formerly established in its present location, 
and the old capital, Antigua Guatemala, has continued to be occupied down to the present day. 
2Brasseur de Bourbourg, 1861. 3 Brinton, 1885. 
