Tree rings and 'El Año del Hambre' in Mexico

Mexico has a wealth of historical information regarding extreme climate, famine and disease in the colonial period and even in prehispanic times. The recent development of long tree-ring chronologies throughout Mexico now allows comparison between records of past climate and socioeconomic conditions. North American tree-ring data indicate that, for the 3 consecutive years from 1785 to 1787, a major drought occurred across Mexico and the central United States with the most intense conditions extending north from Zacatecas into Texas. This period included the infamous 'El Año del Hambre,' one of greatest famines in Mexican history. The tree-ring data are also correlated with maize yield in central Mexico and with the value of Church tithes normally paid with agricultural goods. Drought and crop failure caused the dramatic inflation of crop value and Church tithes in 1786-1787 when tree-ring data indicate that the 1780s drought was most extreme.