Last two millenia Earth's Magnetic Field strength: New archaeointensity determinations from Ichkaantijo, Early to Late Maya Classic period

We report a detailed rock-magnetic and absolute geomagnetic intensity analysis performed on forty eight samples belonging to eight pre-Columbian potteries from the Ichikaantijo area, near Merida city in the Yucatan Peninsula. Twenty six samples out of 48 analyzed, yielded reliable archaeointensity determinations which allowed estimating the geomagnetic field strength fluctuations for the central and northern Maya region during the Early to late Classic periods. The combined analysis of archaeointensity results obtained in this study with existing similar quality determinations indicate the persistence of substantially low geomagnetic field strength during the time interval involved, contrasting with the values predicted by the global geomagnetic field models. It seems that a large period of low geomagnetic field strength prevailed at the Maya area just before the so-called Mayan Collapse.