UNESO World Heritage. Discovered in 1570 by Diego García de Palacio, the ruins of Copán, one of the most important sites of the Mayan civilization, were not excavated until the 19th century. The ruined citadel and imposing public squares reveal the three main stages of development before the city was abandoned in the early 10th century.
Discovered in 1570 by Diego García de Palacio, the Maya site of Copan is one of the most important sites of the Mayan civilization. The site is functioned as the political, civil and religious centre of the Copan Valley. It was also the political centre and cultural focus of a larger territory that covered the southeast portion of the Maya area and its periphery.
The first evidence of population in the Copan Valley dates back to 1500 B.C., but the first Maya-Cholan immigration from the Guatemalan Highlands is dated around 100 A.D. The Maya leader Yax Kuk Mo, coming from the area of Tikal (Petén), arrived in the Copan Valley in 427 A.D., and started a dynasty of 16 rulers that transformed Copan into one of the greatest Maya cities during the Classic Maya Period. The great period of Copán, paralleling that of other major Mayan cities, occurred during the Classical period, AD 300-900. Major cultural developments took place with significant achievements in mathematics, astronomy and hieroglyphic writing. The archaeological remains and imposing public squares reveal the three main stages of development, during which evolved the temples, plazas, altar complexes and ball courts that can be seen today, before the city was abandoned in the early 10th century.
The Mayan city of Copán as it exists today is composed of a main complex of ruins with several secondary complexes encircling it. The main complex consists of the Acropolis and important plazas. Among the five plazas are the Ceremonial Plaza, with an impressive stadium opening onto a mound with numerous richly sculptured monoliths and altars; the Hieroglyphic Stairway Plaza, with a monumental stairway at its eastern end that is one of the outstanding structures of Mayan culture. On the risers of this 100 m wide stairway are more than 1,800 individual glyphs which constitute the longest known Mayan inscription. The Eastern Plaza rises a considerable height above the valley floor. On its western side is a stairway sculptured with figures of jaguars originally inlaid with black obsidian.
From what is known today, the sculpture of Copán appears to have attained a high degree of perfection. The Acropolis, a magnificent architectural complex, appears today as a large mass of rubble which came about through successive additions of pyramids, terraces and temples. The world's largest archaeological cut runs through the Acropolis. In the walls of the cut, it is possible to distinguish floor levels of previous plazas and covered water outlets. The construction of the Great Plaza and the Acropolis reflects a prodigious amount of effort because of the size of its levelled and originally paved expanse of three hectares and the latter because of the enormous volume of its elevated mass, which rises some 30 meters from the ground
Hotels
La Casa Rosada is 9.6 on Booking.com and on TripAdvisor . 5 rooms La Casa Rosada is a beautiful home away from home in the centre of Copan. The house is decorated as a Spanish colonial style inn, filled with antiques and local fine art. Every room has a private bath with steam shower, television, CD/DVD player, telephone, and air conditioning and there is a pleasant garden and patio area where breakfast is served. La Casa Rosada is located 150 m from Copán Central Park and 2 km from Copán Mayan Ruins. Free WiFi access is available in all areas. Each room here will provide you with a TV, air conditioning and a balcony. There is also a refrigerator. Featuring a spa bath, private bathroom also comes with a shower and a hairdryer. Extras include a terrace, a DVD player and a CD player. At La Casa Rosada you will find Turkish bath, a garden and a terrace. Other facilities offered at the property include luggage storage, dry cleaning and an ironing service. An array of activities can be enjoyed on site or in the surroundings, including horse riding and hiking. The property offers free parking and it is 1.5 km from the Sculptures Museum and 2 hours’ drive from San Pedro Sula International Airport
Hotel Marina Copan 9.4 on Booking.com and on TripAdvisor . 44 rooms. Featuring free WiFi and an outdoor pool, Hotel Marina Copan offers accommodation in Copan Ruinas. The hotel has a sauna and fitness centre, and guests can enjoy a meal at the restaurant or a drink at the bar. Free private parking is available on site. Each room at this hotel is air conditioned and has a flat-screen TV with cable channels. The rooms include a private bathroom. There is a gift shop at the property.