Rastrojón facts for kids
Rastrojón is an ancient Maya site in western Honduras. It is an archaeological site, which means it's a place where scientists study the past. Rastrojón is very close to Copán, a much larger Maya city. Copán was the capital of a powerful Maya kingdom that existed from the 400s to the 800s AD. Rastrojón is only about two kilometers away from Copán.
The people of Rastrojón left the site around 822 AD. This happened after the Copán kingdom fell apart. Rastrojón was built on top of a geological fault, which is like a crack in the Earth's crust. This made building there difficult. After Copán's kingdom ended, the people might have decided it was too much work to live in such a tricky spot.
Rastrojón was found in 1979. This happened during a survey, which is when archaeologists carefully look at an area. They were exploring the land around Copán. From 2007 to 2013, a special group called the Rastrojón Archaeological Project worked there. This project was supported by Harvard University and the Honduran Institute of Anthropology and History. They worked to save and protect the site. The project was led by archaeologists William Fash and Jorge Ramos, and a conservator named Antonia Martínez. Because of their work, Rastrojón became a protected archaeological park.
The project stopped in February 2022, and no one is currently working on the site.
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