As Tikal and its hinterland reached peak population , the area suffered deforestation , erosion and nutrient loss followed by a rapid decline in population levels . Tikal and its immediate surroundings seem to have lost the majority of its population during the period from 830 to 950 and central authority seems to have collapsed rapidly . It is not much evidence from Tikal that the city was directly affected by the endemic warfare that afflicted parts of the Maya region during the Terminal Classic , although an influx of refugees from the Petexbatún region may have exacerbated problems resulting from the already stretched environmental resources .