Copan Ruins

Copan is the modern name we give to the huge Mayan City that existed in the western side of Honduras, between the 6th and the 9th century AD. During its peak, Copan had more than 25,000 citizens. All ruled under one King. The Mayan City of Copan that has been rediscovered by archaeologists is a Whole History book carved in Rock and narrated in the pyramids, altars, stellaes and staircases...Copan shouldnt be compared to any other Classic Mayan city, the uniqueness of Copan is the large amount of information that has been recovered from the site. Different periods, different societies that evolved in the same area, buildings that where created, destroyed, modified or changed from place. What we see today is a representation that archeologists think is the best to help the modern visitor understand the life of that societies that lived in those periods.

Copan was without a doubt the most important city in the surrounding hundrends of kilometers. We know several smaller cities where taxed by Copan's King. We know Copan's King was also ruler of these smaller cities. We know a man in his thirties that came from the north founded the classic dinasty in Copan, his name was Yax-Kuk-Mo, which means First-sun Quetzal-Macaw. He established a new type of politics, economy, religion and culture in general. He brought the Advanced Culture of Teotihuacan hundreds of kilometers south-east of its nucleus. There is no written history before Yax-Kuk-Mo, the Culture of Copan as we know it starts with this king. When the founder of the dinasty died, his son succeded him. And thats how 16 of the following kings belonged all to the same family. Yax-Kuk-Mo founded his dinasty in the year and it lasted until the last king in the year , when the city was abandoned during the misterious Mayan Collapse.