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4 of 4Entering the Maya Ruins at Copan
About 1,000 years ago the Maya began building a city in the area that is now Copan. The descendents of the Maya still live in the area, and the ruins of the city remain, as well. Erosion, nature’s work-in-progress, occurs before your very eyes at the ruins of Copan. The ruins, as the appellation may suggest, are severely damaged, and the Maya themselves rebuilt the city a number of times throughout its history. Now, there are a number of minor restoration projects in progress around the site. Today, the overseers of the ruins allow visitors to climb some of the pyramids, but forbid climbing on others in an attempt, no doubt, to prevent both injury and further erosion.
Visiting the ruins is not cheap. Admission to the site is L.140 (10 USD), payable in US Dollars or in Lempiras. Hiring a tour guide will cost another 10 USD and admission to the tunnels is another 12 USD. Admission to the museums is also extra.
The Maya ruins here are of important historical and anthropological significance. Though other Maya ruins throughout Central and South America are larger and better preserved, Copan’s ruins contain many detailed stellae (statues). These helped researchers decipher Maya pictographs. In essence, Copan is to the Maya written language what the Rosetta Stone was to ancient Egyptian. In addition to a written language similar to Chinese and Egyptian in its use of pictures as a basis of representation, the Maya accomplishments included an understanding of the concept of zero, and other mathematical discoveries.
Unlike modern athletes, whose losing performances offer them up to be sacrificed on the tongues of the fickle media and fans, the winners of the Maya games on the ball court at Copan claimed the honor of giving themselves up for sacrifice. A curious result of this practice makes the ball court at Copan the second major distinction.
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Picture Tour of the Maya Ruins of Copan, Honduras |
Undergound Tunnels at Copan Ruins
Copan continues to be an attraction for archaeologists, who have built tunnels under the pyramids in an attempt to see what is beneath. Many cultures, Maya included, build structures on the ruins of previous sites. By digging beneath, you can see structures even older than the ones above ground. There are 2 "tuneles" (tunnels) which you can visit, Jaguares and Rosalila. Rosalila tunnel is separated from an old temple by walls of glass. A recreation of this temple is located at the museum by the main entrance to Copan Ruins. The recreation is almost better to see because you can walk in it and the walls are brightly colored, whereas pigments on the real temple have worn away leaving only earth tones.
The second tunnel is much larger, has multiple levels below ground, and allows you to touch and photograph carved animal adornments. The guided tour (included in the 12 USD admission to the tunnels) offers descriptions of how the maze of tunnels are significant. One point made is the construction of the gravity operated water and waste system built into the walls. There is no mortar used in the construction, the stone blocks are carved to fit together.
Beginning in the spring of 1999, tourists were allowed into the tunnels in groups limited to 10 people per tour. I can’t imagine that tourists will be allowed in the tunnels for very long. Many items are not protected and can be touched and rubbed against by visitors. Flash photography is not limited. Locals say the lines to see the tunnels in the high-tourism season can be very long.
The museum mentioned above contains the temple recreation and detailed exterior stone ornaments. It is based mostly upon architecture. Admission to the museum is L.70 (5 USD). There is also a museum in the town of Copan, which displays personal items along the lines of jewelry, clothes, and kitchen items. These pieces are more detailed and have more value. Here are the ornate jade, gold and silver jewelry and adornments. The town museum is widely regarded as the better of the two.
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