Read the following passage carefully.
The collapse of the Classic Maya civilization in the ninth century CE has long been a subject of intense historical debate. Traditional archaeological interpretations have largely bifurcated into two dominant camps: environmental determinists, who argue that a series of prolonged megadroughts decimated agricultural yields, and sociopolitical theorists, who contend that escalating endemic warfare exhausted the region's resources and fractured its political landscape. However, a more recent explanatory model, the "network disruption" theory, synthesized by archaeologists mapping ancient obsidian and jade trade routes, offers a compelling alternative that integrates elements of both prior views while centering on economic interdependence.
According to this model, the stability of Classic Maya polities relied heavily on a highly specialized, inter-polity exchange network. Elite rulers maintained their political authority and religious legitimacy largely through the acquisition and distribution of exotic prestige goods—such as quetzal feathers, jadeite, and volcanic glass—imported from distant highland regions. These goods were not merely ornamental; they were integral to the socio-religious rituals that validated the rulers' divine status. The network disruption theory posits that localized ecological stressors or minor conflicts did not directly collapse the civilization. Instead, these localized issues severed critical nodes in the long-distance trade networks.
When a localized drought or skirmish disrupted a key transit corridor, the flow of prestige goods halted. Consequently, rulers in unaffected, downstream polities found themselves unable to procure the materials necessary for their legitimizing rituals. This failure eroded their ideological authority among the commoner class, sparking internal rebellions that ultimately brought down the political structure, even in cities that had adequate food and water. Thus, the theory suggests that it was the hyper-connected nature of the Maya economic system, rather than widespread environmental collapse or universal warfare, that transformed localized disruptions into a systemic, pan-regional catastrophe.
Based on the passage, match each theoretical scenario or group on the left with the inference most strongly supported by the text on the right.
- A Maya polity located downstream from a minor regional conflict experiences no drought or warfare itself.Under the network disruption theory, its political structure would likely collapse due to internal rebellions despite adequate local resources.
- A Maya ruler is cut off from importing exotic prestige goods from distant highland regions.Their ideological authority would erode because they could not perform the specific socio-religious rituals that validate their divine status.
- A localized ecological stressor occurs in a remote area that does not encompass any key nodes in the long-distance trade networks.The network disruption theory implies this event would be unlikely to trigger a systemic, pan-regional catastrophe.
- Proponents of the traditional sociopolitical theory of the Classic Maya collapse.They would emphasize the exhaustion of the region's resources through escalating conflicts rather than the breakdown of trade routes.