The example of social collapse that I will refer to in this essay is the Mayan civilization. The Mayan civilization is “probably the best known of all early American civilizations.” (Fagan, 1995) It reached its strongest point between 300 and 900 AD. Around 900 AD was the time of its collapse. This civilization developed in dense tropical forest on plateaus or plains. Today to visit a Mayan site, people would travel to the modern Mexican state, capital of Merida. This site was once home to the "most advanced Native American civilization in the New World before the arrival of Europeans." (Diamond, 2009) Over the years, many predictions have been made about what would cause the collapse of the Mayan civilization. At the moment the most recent case put forward by geographers and scientists is that climate change may have had a major impact on this collapse. The rains received during the creation of civilization are said to have been a key factor in the continuity of Mayan life. All this and the addition of social factors such as religious beliefs, ethnicity and education had an effect on their way of life, an effect on their social well-being. The art and architecture formed by the Maya are the basis of the work of archaeologists today. They look at these features and the ruins of the buildings created to represent the type of lifestyle they lived. Looking at the art and architecture of a specific civilization or community from the past is just one way that can help guide future adaptations. Another way Europeans learned about the collapse was that they sent geographers and researchers not long after the collapse to collect as much data and information... middle of paper... in their homes) and erosion. In a cultural and political context there was a competition between kings and nobles over who would lead civilization through warfare and other events that required military forces. Works Cited Diamond, Jared M. (2005) “The Maya Collapses.” Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed. New York: Viking, 157-77. Fagan, Brian M. (2001) “Mesoamerican Civilizations.” : Thames & Hudson, 491-509.Lhote, H., Summers, R., Kirwan, L.P. and Watson, W. (1963) Vanished Civilizations London: Thames and Hudson.Mott, N. (2012) Why the Maya fell: Climate change, conflict and a trip to the beach? [online] Available at: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/11/121109-maya-civilization-climate-change-belize-science/ ( Accessed: 28 October 2013)