Copán ruinsSeen by many of the most spectacular cities of the old Mayan civilization, there is a ruins known for its beautiful stone temples, altars, hieroglyphs and tire.
Today is one of the most popular attractions in Honduras. In contrast to another tourist attraction in the region, Bad Copán (or Ruin Copán in Spanish) still maintains its mystical aura of a city that is still a bit lost and is now being rediscovered.
It is worth taking half a day to visit these ruins, and here I will share all the monuments, steles and historical points that you should not visit.
Brief historical history of the Ruins de Copán
Although Copán was occupied for more than two thousand years, the Copan -ruins complex, which we see today, became mainly between 400 and 800 AD when it served as the capital of a great classic kingdom of classical time.
Copán was a powerful city that ruled a great kingdom in the southern area of Maia.
But this fate was a change when he suffered a great political catastrophe in 738 AD, when uaxaclajun ub'aah k'awiil, one of the greatest kings of Copán's dynastic history, by the king of Quiriguá, his old vassal, captured andcaptured was executed.
This unexpected defeat led to a 17 -year break, which served with other factors in combination as a catalyst for the sudden task of the city at the beginning of the ninth century.
Although Copan had been known by residents since the early nineteenth century, excavations only began discovering the secrets behind this city lost in 1975.
Even today, these ruins are an active archaeological site, in which the continuous excavations shed history behind Copán a new light.
The last skeleton studies indicate that the city became stable after an unstable 800 AD.
At that time, the city had grown exponentially for around 25,000 people, and constant droughts had destroyed vital cultures in the region. Finally, all available resources were consumed, which forced residents to leave the city.
Today, Copans Mayan ruins are one of the most important and impressive Mayan locations that you should visit in Mesoamerica, thanks to its impressive stone sculptures and their hieroglyphic complexes.
The ruins have been added to the list ofUNESCO Cultural HeritageEmicaciones EM 1980.
Arriving at the ruins of Copán
First, it must reach the small city of Copan Ruinas in the western part of Honduras, about 6 km from the border between Guatemala. I know it can be confused if both are called equal.
Copan ruins is located about 180 km southwest of San Pedro Sula or 420 km northwest of Tegucigalpa.
Copan's ruins are 1 km east of the city of Copan Ruinas.
To get to the ruins, you can go a little more than 1 km from the city's central park (central park), go south in Av.Copan and then merge this in Ca11 avenue until you arrive at the ruins to theright.
Or you can also take a motorcycle taxi, Tuk-Tuk, which costs $ 20 to $ 40 L $ (approximately 0.80 to 1.60 USD).
If you stay in Copan ruins (the city), I wroteA little Ruinas de CopánWith recommendations for other things you stay and much more.
Copan -Ruin complex exploration
The entire remote area comprises more than 4,500 structures (scattered 24 km2), with most of the "main group" approach, which covers approximately two square kilometers. In addition, there is a secondary area, approximately one kilometer, approximately one kilometer, known as the serious ones.
Copan, the main group and a larger place, is a Mayan complex that was built for the high nobility. On the other hand, the smallest serious is a residential complex that was built for well existing residents of the Indigenous Lenca group.
Since the places are in an incredibly lush valley, it is easy to identify a variety of resident animals that roam the ruins. Between them, they include monkeys, macaws (large parrots), arsas, lazy and edges.
CopánRuins (main group)
In the main group, you will see a huge complex that consists of several squares and temples that are based on different levels and decorated with complicated hieroglyphic standards.
A few hours are needed to walk through the area, so bring water and prepare to spend a few hours under the sun.
These are the most important areas that you should not lose:
The Acropolis
This area consists of the western and oriental dishes. The western cut comprises temple 11, which was built during the reign of Yax-Pac, the last ruler of Copán, as an elaborate portal of the underworld.
Temple 16 was built at the top in a front temple (Rosalila's tap or the temple of the sun) without damaging the remains.
The forceful masks of this building retain its original colors. This can be the best preserved stucco building throughout the Mayan civilization.
You can see the superiors, about 100 feet, where you can see the general design of the Ruink complex.
In temple 16 is the reproduction of the altar Q, which shows the successor of the 16 members of the Copan dynasty, including Yax-Pac, which are in their own name Gli-Fos.
The altar is completely deciphered and you can see the founder of the Yax-Kuk-Mo dynasty because the power scepter passes directly to Yax-Pac. The original altar is in the museum.
To the great place
The huge place is famous for its stelae and altars, which are distributed around a well prepared grass. One of the most famous multiple is "18 rabbit", which was the 13th ruler of Copán.
The sculpture shows the rule with a decorative leak and an intimidating scepter with a two -people snake. The area also includes the ball court, the second largest court in Central America.
Estelaes
These unique sculptural monuments are impressive and humiliating that they cope is invaluable in the places of the rich Maya and for our understanding of this lost civilization.
The steles are three to five meters high and are carved in incredibly complex relief. These are portraits of the greatest rulers in the history of the city.
On the one hand, you see the image of the ruler and, on the other hand, a series of hieroglyphs that describe the power and politics of this ruler.
Nach Hieroglosa Escada
The hieroglyphic manager is the most famous monuments of Copan. The staircase is in Temple 26 and contains 63 steps with hieroglyphs, which represent the story of the Royal House of Copán.
This leader is the most famous text of the former Mayan civilization so far, and archaeologists study and still decipher the importance of the hieroglyphic letter.
The tunnel
Under the acropolis there are more than 4 km of tunnels where you can see the previous phases of the Copan Civilization. Then, the tunnels are only open to the audience: Pink purple tunnels and Los Jaguares tunnel.
The purple pink tunnel is located under temple 16 and includes the remains of the temple of Lila Rose.
The Jaguar tunnel, on the other hand, is more than 700 meters long and contains one of the most important tombs in Copan; Galindo Seriously.
Although the excavations in Copán began in the 1970s, this tomb was discovered more than a century ago!You can also see a system of aqueducts, tombs and old bathrooms.
Copán Skulpturenmuseum
The Mayan Museum is at the entrance of Copan and includes many sculptures and replicas of the place. The museum's contribution is made in the form of a snake that represents the Mayan belief that snakes represent a trip to the underworld.
The most notable attraction of the museum is the normal replica of Rosalila's temple with bright red colors and artistic design that once compensated for this structure.
Complex tombs
For some reason, many visitors do not visit the 1970s, but it is worth visiting it because it shows a different selection and perspective of the Mayan civilization.
You can run an additional kilometer or take a TUK TUK to reach tombs. The input rate for sepullets is included in your Copan ticket. You can establish a one -hour tourist guide through the residential complex.
The replacements (burials) bear the name of the many burials found in each house.
At first, archaeologists thought it was a kind of cemetery, but then their families discovered their loved ones inside their stone beds.
Prices and hours of Copán
You couldMake this tour of Copan Ruins archaeological parkContent with a totally guided experience and input rates.
If you want to go independently, the main registration rate is US dollars, including Copan and Graves entry. The Mayan Sculpture Museum has a separate entry rate of $ 7.
Finally, enter the two tunnels that are accessible to the public, the "Rosa Lila" tunnel and the "Los Jaguares" tunnel, has an additional rate of $ 15 and must be visited with a guide.
The leaders of the rest of the archaeological park cost between 30 and 40 US dollars per tour with any number of people.
Instructions can be established for groups of up to 10 people, and the tours can take between two and four hours (depending on the number of stops).
Copan ruins is open seven days a week of 8 a.m.at 4 p.m.
If you want to know more about the ruins and its history, the Temuu archeology in the Copan Ruinas center has an entry rate of $ 2.
And a last advice ... Be careful when you climb the ruins. It is relatively easy to stumble and fall.I did my personal donation of sacrificial blood there.
