Description and main attractions  

When you walk through Copan, you have the feeling that thousands of people are watching you, talking to you, listening ... and it is that for some reason is called "the Mayan Athens!. Its numerous human figures are carved on the stelae, and are watching us from their pedestals with absolute solemnity.

It is these people, that now analyze us, as we walk, that built temples, palaces, erected stelae, developed very efficient hieroglyphic writings and successfully cultivated complicated sciences like mathematics and astronomy without the technology we have today...

Thanks to the stelae, altars and the stairways, a bit of light has been thrown over history and the evolution of the city, as has the Copán Hieroglyphic Stairway, considered the most extense text of the pre-Columbian America

When you enter the site you can distinguish an area, that was intended for the political and religious functions of that civilization, where the Acropolis was, that is, where the royal power, and where most important buildings like temples, palaces, the famous ball game and the famous temple Rosalila were situated, one of the best preserved structures found by the archaeologist Ricardo Agurcia in 1989.

Unlike the Acropolis, The Gran Plaza, was home to a large number of people and was the scenario of dramatic public events. It is estimated that it could accommodate 20.000 people at once, and even, it is believed that there were stairs that served as seats for large crowds watching the stelae and the altars that served as giant sundials and waypoints, which recorded the cyclical movement of the sun: solstices, equinoxes and the sun passing through the zenith.

While staying there, you will see that at the center of this opened theater there are seven stelaes and eleven altars, forming one of the most beautiful sculpture gardens of the ancient world, then don’t miss the opportunity to delve into the tunnels of Lila Rosa and Los Jaguares and discover how the pyramids were inside.

Did you know that in the Copan museum, you can learn about the famous temple of Rosalila, that was discovered by the archaeologist Ricardo Agurcia in 1989, which is the best preserved piece of monumental architecture at Copan?. He found within its walls numerous artefacts that reflect ancient religious practices such as offerings of flint knives (for sacrifices), nine developed flint eccentric (ceremonial centers) wrapped with the remains of a deep blue bag, carved jade jewellery, sea shells, stingray spines (perforators for rites bleeding), shark vertebrae, jaguar claws and the remains of flower petals and pine needles. The internal walls of the temple were covered with soot as a result of burning incense and using torches.

Copan will surprise you and make you revive within its walls the cults and ancestral wisdom of this culture!

Location  

Copán Ruins is a tranquil oasis of ancient culture and sublime nature located in western Honduras, just 14 kilometers from the border of Guatemala or 408 miles west of Tegucigalpa.

Getting There: