Our two weeks in Honduras had flown by and it was nearing Christmas, which we had decided to celebrate in Guatemala. However, before we crossed the border, there was one more important spot to visit in Honduras – Copán.
The town of Copán Ruinas, often simply called Copán, turned out to be a beautiful place, paved with cobblestones and lined with white adobe buildings with red-tiled roofs. We also soon discovered that it was one of the most traveller-oriented places in Honduras, with a friendly local population, English widely spoken and some great hotels and restaurants.
Many people come here just to see the famous nearby Maya ruins, but we quickly figured out that the two days we had planned there were not nearly enough to see the other attractions in and around the town. We were off to Copán Ruins bright and early our first morning. Discovered in 1570 by Diego García de Palacio, the Copán Ruins, one of the most important sites of the Mayan civilization, was not excavated until the 19th century. Today, it is one of the most visited Mayan sites in Central America.
The ruins were located just a short walk from our hostel. On our walk over, we’d already encountered excavated boulders that were full of Mayan artwork, telling stories we could only imagine, and that were probably far from being right. While enjoying our walk towards the entrance to the main Copán Ruins area, a short, kind-looking man with seven missing fingers stopped us. I expected him to offer art-items like many in the area, but speaking to us in broken English, he handed us a folder with printed photos and references of his horseback riding services.
His name was Henry, and he was mellow and polite, and he quickly convinced us that we needed to experience a tour on horseback before we left the next afternoon. I had grown a bit impatient being asked to buy items and services in the last three months of travelling through Central America, but I also always reminded myself that I was privileged not to be on the other side of the conversation; so we agreed to meet him the next day.
We bought our tickets and walked into the entrance of the park. Before we even saw any large Mayan ruins, we were pleasantly surprised by dozens of scarlet macaws! It seemed that recently a “macaw rescue and breeding program” was initiated at the archaeological site. There were info-boards telling visitors about macaws, why they were threatened and how we could help them. It looked like a great project, and we also soon saw how it added to the magic of the ruins.
Walking towards the first large pyramid, a flock of bright red macaws flew right over our head – it was quite impressive. No wonder these birds were revered in Mayan times! For two hours, we explored the area, slowly learning more about the great fallen city. Copán was ruled by a dynasty of 16 kings between A.D. 426 and 820. The city’s main hub covered only about 150,000 square meters, and archaeological work shows that it was remodelled and rebuilt continuously over those 400 years. The city’s ancient name was likely Oxwitik and its official emblem was in the shape of a bat.
Located on the south-eastern periphery of the Maya world, the city was spared some of the warfare that ravaged its larger and more centrally located neighbours. Nevertheless, the kings of the city were depicted as warriors, and hostilities with the neighbouring city of Quirigua led its unlucky 13th ruler, Waxaklahun Ubah K’awil, to be captured and sacrificed. The city was one of the most densely populated in the Maya world. Research reveals that the population of the city and nearby areas peaked at about 26,000 people around A.D. 750.
Copán’s people built great monuments and sculptures out of a greenish volcanic tuff. Among the monuments they constructed was the “Temple of the Hieroglyphic Stairway.” It’s a pyramid-like structure that has more than 2,000 glyphs embellished on a flight of 63 steps – the longest ancient Maya inscription known to exist. Standing in front of the ancient steps was quite mesmerizing. From what scholars have deciphered, it appears to tell the history of Copán’s rulers.
In the 9th century, Copán suddenly fell; why or how it happened is still a debate. Copán was not alone in its plight. Cities throughout the Maya world were falling, and one possibility is that a great drought hit the Mayan cities. Some studies show that Copán’s peak population of 26,000 people may have been unsustainable forcing them to move away. Copán, like many other Mayan cities, faded away.
I loved walking up and down the city’s ancient steps, imagining what life had been like here in the peak of Mayan civilization. Walking back to our hostel, we ran into a celebration on the town square. We had street-food and many were surprised when we, the only “gringos” at the party, got up to dance merengue when the live Latin-band started. It was a great night to start off our holiday celebrations and spend our last night in Honduras.
But before we got on the shuttle, taking us over the border into Guatemala, we still had some horseback riding to do! Henry picked us up at 7:00am on the dot, with three horses in front of our hostel. We rode over the cobblestone streets of Copán, over a bridge and into the countryside. Henry showed us around the farmlands, villages and at the end of the tour brought us to a gorgeous viewpoint overlooking Copán Town and the Copán Ruins.
Two weeks ago, I had sat nervously in the bus, wondering if I was making a mistake to travel through Honduras. I had read so much about the dangers that were lurking in this country, but instead I was leaving Honduras with only good experiences and memories.
Follow Laura’s travels on Instagram: @laurasxm
