Honduras has a bad reputation amongst travellers, with many considering it to be too dangerous to visit. A visit to Copan Ruinas, however, feels anything but dangerous. The town looks rather new, with brightly painted buildings and many local men wearing boots and a cowboy hat. It has the feel of a Mexican town from a Western film and the Parque Central is a nice spot in which to spend an afternoon.
You can find the main archeological park approximately 2km out of town. The park is home to a number of religious and residential buildings, aswell as an impressive sculpture museum. A neighbouring archeological park known as ‘Las Sepulturas’ lies only around 2km further down the road, though the ruins here are not in as good shape as those in the main complex.
Copan was an important town in the Mayan civilisation, functioning as a political and cultural centre in the south of the Mayan world. The first of Copan’s 16 rulers arrived in the 5th century, and Copan’s power was at its height between 300 and 900 AD, during the classic period. The city was abandoned after this until its rediscovery by the Spaniards in 1570.
Copan is home to the longest Mayan glyph inscription known to be in existence. The glyphs are carved into the stairway of one of the largest pyramids in the complex. It is vastly different to the other inscriptions found at Copan, which are usually short. In contrast, the hieroglyphic stairway is made up of over two thousand hieroglyphs, recounting the dynastic history of Copan and beginning with the founder of the dynasty- K’inich Yax K’uk’ Mo.
It is clear that the sculptors resident in Copan were highly talented, as is evident in the many sculptures in various states of preservation both on site and in the Sculpture Museum. As you walk around the complex you will also see many more carvings than you would at other Mayan sites. There is also a whole uncovered area of the complex home to what were residential buildings. These have not been restored and do not expect to see a building resembling a modern house. They do, however, provide a good idea of the type of dwellings the city elite would have lived in- houses with thick stone walls, and small rooms.
In the park itself you can see a large number of original stelae- stone columns bearing inscriptions and reliefs- depicting different figures and covered in glyphs. There are also many more altars than you see at other sites, all intricately carved around the edges.
The ball court resident in Copan is, again, different to many of those you will see at other Mayan sites. There is no hoop for the ball to pass through- instead the aim was probably to hit one of the carved macaw heads at the top of the court. It’s likely you will spot a number of real macaws hanging around in the trees at the entrance to the park. It is therefore unsurprising that macaws are depicted more in the sculptures at Copan than at any other Mayan site. Macaws were highly prized birds in Mayan culture, and their feathers were even traded as currency. It seems clear that the city of Copan was proud of its wild macaws.
Copan’s highlight as a Mayan site is definitely its clear and intricate carvings, which adorn many of the buildings in the park. This, plus the lack of other tourists make it a really pleasant site to visit.
For more information visit:
whc.unesco.org/en/list/129
https://www.maya-archaeology.org
http://www.macawmountain.org/ancient-maya/4588307790
Getting there and away:
The main archaeological park and sculpture museum are only around a 25 minute walk down one long road from the main town, or you can take one of the many tuk tuks from the town of Copan Ruinas.
Las Sepulturas is a little further down the road and the entrance is around another 25 minute walk from the first archeological park, though tuk tuks are available from the exit of the main park. Your ticket to the main archaeological park will also get you in here, and can be used for three days.
The town’s small but excellent archeology museum is situated right on the Parque Central.
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