Long Overdue...Copan Ruinas

I’ve been so fortunate to have both friends and family visit me here in Honduras in the last few months…and when tourists come from the United States there are certain places they want to go. They say they want to “experience” what my life is like here on a day-to-day basis, but when it comes down to it, the cold bucket showers, intense heat, and dry dusty roads of Honduras is not how visitors want to spend valuable vacation days. But don’t get me wrong, I’m not discouraging visitors…in fact I long for the opportunity to be in a place where I can finally get clean, sleep in air conditioning, and have a good meal. It’s been great having both my parents and Sarah down to visit me, so please book your tickets now!!! Sarah was here in the end of December/Beginning of January on break from Columbia. Then my parents visited the week before Easter (Semana Santa). Both visits included a trip to Copan Ruinas, the farthest west of Honduras, to see the ancient Mayan Ruins.




Copan…the town itself is a really nice stopping point, for its cobblestone streets, beautiful central park, and surrounding lush green hills. My mom and I went for a horseback ride along the river the morning before we left. Sarah and I frequented some of the bars and met some travelers as well as other Peace Corps volunteers. We also made good friends with a couple, Sarah and Elliott, who we then spent time with later on the Bay Islands. The people are friendly, the food is great, and the ruins are a must see if you haven’t ever had an experience like this.




The Ruins…Known as the “Athens of the New World” Copan has one of the richest sets of preserved Mayan ruins. At it height there was a population of roughly 24,000 Mayans living at Copan, and was the Mayan cultural center for 400 years at its peak of development. Though there were settlers in the Copan valley believed from 1000 BC, the construction of the civilization is believed to have begun around the AD 100 and the royal dynasty began in 426. Some of the best preserved pieces of the civilization include the ball court which was a central social space for Mayans, the Great Plaza, and the hieroglyphic stairway which is the longest inscription in the Americas. The stairway has 72 steps containing 2500 glyphs that recount the story of Copan’s rulers., of whom include Smoke Monkey, 18 Rabbit, Moon Jaguar, and Yax K’uk Mo. Some of my favorite pieces are in the photos…the “Old Man” of Copan, La Rosalila with my parents, which is on display in the archeological museum, and the 16 Seated Men, which carved around a square cut stone depicts Copans first and the last ruler meeting face to face.