Stutzfamily.com>Travel Pictures

Copán Ruins page 1

Copan is the cultural highlight of Honduras. A magnificent Mayan city filled with more relief-stelae than any other, it is definitely a place we will visit more than once. Susan and I had visited early in the 90's (pictures here), but what a different experience going with kids!!

The most famous residents of Copan, besides the macaws outside the gates of course, are the magnificent statues of former leaders that dot the grounds. These stela are considered to be the most impressive in the Maya world, due mostly to their 'three-dimensionness.'

Now, as a point of historical reference, when we were in Honduras during 1992 and '93, Copan was quite a bit different than in 2000. The stela on the left is now preserved in the new Sculpture Museum - a reproduction is now in its place. And the top of the Jaguar Plaza (below) looking toward the back of the Hieroglyphic Stairway, has been considerably built up and is now also covered with a tarp.

A close-up of the glyphs on the side of one of the stela

The ball court is one of the most beautifully restored in the Maya world

On the side of the ball court is a parrot head. It may have in the past held a wooden ring, through which players would try to 'hip' a ball. Most experts think the Mayan version of soccer was played using only the hips and thighs - no hands or feet were allowed to touch the rubber balls.

 

Honduras 2000	Page 2 of Honduras revisited	Daily life in Honduras
Copan	Omoa	Honduras '92-93
Copan Page 2	Grandma's trip to Honduras	Mark and Jennifer do Honduras
Copan Page 3	part of the webpage we made for our school

To the main Travel Pix page
To the Stutz's Welcome Page