TREADING WHERE THE MAYAN KINGS HAVE TREAD, COPAN
Jun 21 '02 (Updated May 09 '05)
The Bottom Line It is one of those places that when you see it you're glad you made the effort.
I was the second person to enter Copan ruins the morning I visited it. I'd got up early, grabbed a quick breakfast and took a brisk fifteen minute stroll from the town of Copana Ruins to the archaeological site entrance. Here I waited in the visitor centre for the gates to open.
There was only one other visitor at that hour, a young tourist from Japan. We exchanged pleasantries and passed the time looking at the photos of the excavation and artefacts on display in the visitor centre. We also spent a lot of time looking at the large scale model of Copan prominently displayed in the centre of the visitor centre.
At 8:00 am the gates opened and we both began to stroll down the tree lined path to the actual entrance to the site itself. At the entrance we both stopped to admire the parrots and other birds in cages there. It was feeding time and they were putting on a bit of a show. During that brief pause some other tourist sneaked up behind us and slipped through the turnstiles becoming the first person to enter that day. I was right behind her as the guest book for December 1, 2001 will attest.
Being second was no big deal as the site itself is easily large enough for all three of us to get lost in. In fact that's exactly what happened. I occasionally caught glimpses of the other two as I wandered about in awe. However aside from them and the few staff there it was almost as if I had the place to myself. The sun was just up and peeking through the thick tree cover. The dew was still wet on the grass under my feet. It was the perfect setting to visit this magnificent place.
Copan is one of the most visited of all the Mayan sites in Central America. This is surprising considering its location in an isolated mountain valley nestled against Honduras' border with Guatemala. It is possible to visit the site in a day trip from either San Pedro Sula, Honduras's second largest city, or even Guatemala City but it would be pushing it. An overnight trip would allow for a more relaxed time.
Copan is also a UNESCO world heritage site and well known internationally. This is a fact that the Honduran Government is well aware of. At this time it is the second most visited spot in the country by foreign tourists after the Bay Islands.
The region around Copan was first settled around 1200 BC by the Olmecs the first known Indians to inhabit Central America. The Mayans arrived in the region much later, around 400 AD.
For some 800 years Copan was inhabited by the Mayans. It soon grew to become the dominant city state in the south of the Mayan world. It was a centre for commerce and trade as well as the seat of political power, a Royal City.
Around 800 AD Copan began to decline. The reasons for this decline appear to have been the city grew too fast. At it's peak the city state has a population estimated at 20,000. Copan could not support this many people. The natural resources of the immediate region were soon exhausted and the city was abandoned around 1200 AD.
The site was "rediscovered" by the Spanish around when they began exploring the region in the 16th Century, .but nothing much was done at that time Aside from reports filed which soon gathered dust. At the time only five family groups lived there. It was again rediscovered in 1839 by the American explorers John L. Stephens and Frederick Catherwood. Since then continued efforts to preserve and restore it have taken place
The site is as noted a short walk form the town of Copana Ruins and is open daily from 8:00 to 5:00 p.m.. Admission is $10.00 US with a further $5.00 for the museum of sculpture which contains many artefacts recovered from the site and too precious to be left in situ. A further $10.00 will give you admission to the two tunnels under the main temple area.
The main temple site is rather compact and can easily be seen in a couple of hours. Although there are the remains of some 3400 structures within a twenty four kilometre radius. Copan is not as massive as other Mayan sites such as Tikal. What makes it impressive though is the elaborate artwork evident on the various temples.
From the entrance you move down a broad tree line path that ends at a wide open grassy field. This is the Great Plaza. On your left (north) are four massive temples and other smaller stone structures. Dotted about the field are several stela, small stone monuments to past rulers of Copan.
Not to be missed in this area is the ball court where the ancient Mayan ball was played. The winning team according to tradition was sacrificed after the game. this is the second largest ball court discovered in Central America. It is the largest of three courts at Copan.
Past this is Temple 26 the largest at Copan, and beyond it a massive wall and hill with paths around it. Temple 11 is part of this complex which divides the site into two areas.
The southern area is more concentrated and consists of two smaller plazas known as the East Plaza and West Plaza. Here there are several more temples and altars and the Acropolis which is built into the hill that temple 11 sits on. Both here and on the Stelaes in the great plaza that the beast examples of stone work for which Copan is famous for can be found.
It is in the East Plaza that the entrances to the two tunnels are located. both the Los Jaguas Tunnel and the Rosalita Tunnel provide an excellent vantage point to examine the reconstruction and preservation work at the site. The tunnels take you under two separate temples and allow you to see as yet unexcavated sites. In the Jaguas Tunnel they've unearthed a Mayan toilet bathroom and complete with a running water system based on levels.
To the south of these two plazas is a further grouping of smaller more overgrown structures known as El Cemetario. There are also several other outlying areas for those with more time to explore. These are all connected by well marked paths which also double as nature trails.
Guided tours are available from multilingual guides at a nominal cost. They can easily be spotted by the large wooden staffs they carry topped with peacock feathers. The morning I was there I noted several guided groups moving about. Interestingly enough a couple of them appeared to be of Honduran school children. It's nice to know that part of their education is an understanding of this aspect of their history.
Most organised tour groups seem to start around 10:00 am or so. For those who wish to explore the site alone I suggest getting there early as I did. Good guide books are available at the visitors centre. there are also a selection of souvenirs and film here as well. The selection is limited though and as can be expected the prices outrageous. There are better places in town for souvenir shopping.
The town of Copana Ruina has a variety of accommodations to suit all budgets and a good selection of places to eat. There are also Internet cafes, an excellent selection of reasonably priced gift shops, and plenty of tourist information.
There is regular daily bus service to San Pedro Sula and Tegucigalpa, the capital city. In addition several entrepreneurs have set up a pick up shuttle service to ferry people to the nearby border with Guatemala at El Florida. Here buses and taxis are available to other parts of Guatemala.
After a few hours of peacefully wandering around the temples of Copan I made my way back toward the entrance. I'd have loved to stay but a long way to travel that day. On my way I passed the first of several groups of tourists arriving. I enjoy company most times and in other circumstances would have gladly joined them. However in retrospect I'm glad I had the opportunity to experience Copan the way I did that morning.
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