The Americas

By the year 900, the Mayan golden age in Mesoamerica was ending. A combination of environmental degradation, drought, and warfare caused Mayans to abandon many of their cities. However, some Mayan cities, such as Chichen Itza, continued to be inhabited.

Two other large civilizations developed in the Western Hemisphere during this time. One was the Mississippian civilization, near present-day St. Louis. It flourished between the 8th century and the 16th century. Its city of Cahokia was a major trade hub with a population larger than that of London.

The other was the Toltecs civilization, which emerged in the 10th century in Mesoamerica. The Toltecs adopted many Mayan practices, including a religion that was both polytheistic and animistic. The Toltecs had a major influence on a later empire in the region, the Aztecs.