Copan
30/04/2014
As always I don't manage to upload pictures and my stories together : something I just haven't time or energy to write, other times I haven't a good internet connection to upload pictures.
Right now I'm stuck in my room, outside it's raining, so I'll have plenty of time to write.
Writing about Copan seems easier than what it is, probably because it's the first time I visited a Maya's ruins and I still have lot to learn about this civilization. Copan is considered one of the most beautiful Maya's ruins. What makes it so special is not only the dimensions of the site, but the quantity of very good quality carved stelae, altars, monuments, temples. Every stone is decorated, every symbol has a meaning. Unfortunately during the 500 years (500-900 AD) of the Maya's reign, temples were always built on top of the previous ones, so it's not possible to see much about the first period of the Maya in the Copan region. Despite this, the ruins are very well preserved and the numerous hieroglyphics provided exhausting information about the Maya in Copan. One of the most important construction is the Hieroglyphic Stairway, the longest Maya hieroglyphic text found: 2200 carved rocks, that describe the history of the Copan reign and its 16 kings. The kings had unpronounceable names, but their meaning was very singular: Great Sun First Quetzal Macaw (Quetzal is the national bird) , Eighteen Rabbit , Smoke Shell, Smoke Jaguar, Moon Jaguar.
Besides the religious and ritual area, it's possible to visit also the ruins of the houses. There was no more to see than walls and beds (huge flat rocks), because at that time the house was used only to sleep.
Next to the ruins there is a museum where are preserved some of the original stelae, statues and the reproduction of the Rosalila temple, probably the most beautiful one, that is located inside temple 16 and it's not accessible to the people.
What made special the atmosphere was the presence of many different birds. Their sound was something new to me, I took a video but unfortunately my internet connection doesn't allow me to upload it. No Quetzal here , but many Scarlet Macaws and other birds.
Funny thing is that the ruins are simply called Copan, while the city next to it, it's called Copan Ruinas. I loved this little city, unfortunately the bad weather stopped me from visiting the near regions. Besides the ruins, Copan is very famous for its coffee. So when you arrive in this city, you have to stop in one of the coffee shops and try one of the best coffee in the world. Of course, I went out from the coffee shop heavier : I bought coffee for at least 6 months! (or 1 month, depends on how many coffee you drink a day).
I sadly left Honduras, before getting to know better this country. I just visit couple of (very touristic) places and I really loved them. Probably the numerous horrible stories about this country are exaggerated. I felt unsafe in the capital (but I arrived late in the night) , but very safe in the other places. If I had more time, I would spend there more weeks, but Guatemala was already waiting for me (or better, I was looking forward to enter in Guatemala!).
As always I don't manage to upload pictures and my stories together : something I just haven't time or energy to write, other times I haven't a good internet connection to upload pictures.
Right now I'm stuck in my room, outside it's raining, so I'll have plenty of time to write.
Writing about Copan seems easier than what it is, probably because it's the first time I visited a Maya's ruins and I still have lot to learn about this civilization. Copan is considered one of the most beautiful Maya's ruins. What makes it so special is not only the dimensions of the site, but the quantity of very good quality carved stelae, altars, monuments, temples. Every stone is decorated, every symbol has a meaning. Unfortunately during the 500 years (500-900 AD) of the Maya's reign, temples were always built on top of the previous ones, so it's not possible to see much about the first period of the Maya in the Copan region. Despite this, the ruins are very well preserved and the numerous hieroglyphics provided exhausting information about the Maya in Copan. One of the most important construction is the Hieroglyphic Stairway, the longest Maya hieroglyphic text found: 2200 carved rocks, that describe the history of the Copan reign and its 16 kings. The kings had unpronounceable names, but their meaning was very singular: Great Sun First Quetzal Macaw (Quetzal is the national bird) , Eighteen Rabbit , Smoke Shell, Smoke Jaguar, Moon Jaguar.
Besides the religious and ritual area, it's possible to visit also the ruins of the houses. There was no more to see than walls and beds (huge flat rocks), because at that time the house was used only to sleep.
Next to the ruins there is a museum where are preserved some of the original stelae, statues and the reproduction of the Rosalila temple, probably the most beautiful one, that is located inside temple 16 and it's not accessible to the people.
What made special the atmosphere was the presence of many different birds. Their sound was something new to me, I took a video but unfortunately my internet connection doesn't allow me to upload it. No Quetzal here , but many Scarlet Macaws and other birds.
Funny thing is that the ruins are simply called Copan, while the city next to it, it's called Copan Ruinas. I loved this little city, unfortunately the bad weather stopped me from visiting the near regions. Besides the ruins, Copan is very famous for its coffee. So when you arrive in this city, you have to stop in one of the coffee shops and try one of the best coffee in the world. Of course, I went out from the coffee shop heavier : I bought coffee for at least 6 months! (or 1 month, depends on how many coffee you drink a day).
I sadly left Honduras, before getting to know better this country. I just visit couple of (very touristic) places and I really loved them. Probably the numerous horrible stories about this country are exaggerated. I felt unsafe in the capital (but I arrived late in the night) , but very safe in the other places. If I had more time, I would spend there more weeks, but Guatemala was already waiting for me (or better, I was looking forward to enter in Guatemala!).
Comments
Post a Comment