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.