Collapse: Looking for Clues at Copan

Essential Science for Teachers: Earth and Space Science
From the soil and rocks beneath our feet to our connection to the Moon and Sun, the story of Earth is a fascinating one — and most of what is known about the Earth has been gathered through observation and interpretation. Encourage students’ curiosity, help them sharpen their skills of observation and interpretation, foster their development of science knowledge, and share with them the excitement of exploring Earth and the solar system by participating in this course.

Click on a topic above to begin.

Through fieldwork and lab work, archaeologists have been piecing together what happened to bring about the collapse of Copán, once a thriving center of Maya civilization. In this activity, you'll be following in the steps of the archaeologists who studied Copán, looking for clues to how it collapsed. You'll be trying to answer two questions:

1. Why did Copán collapse?

2. Was the end a gradual decline or a rapid fall?

To get started, click on one of the topics to the left (monuments, houses, bones, people, or botany). Use your Copán journal to record important clues along the way.

"Collapse" is inspired by programs from Out of the Past,
a video series from Annenberg Media.