Copan Archaelogical Site, Honduras

We’ve spent a fabulous day at this Mayan site in Honduras. We toured the principal group of ruins first then went to the Sculpture Museum before finishing up at Las Sepulturas residential compounds.


The city of Copan was active during the Classic Period AD 250 - 900 and is recognised for its sculptures and hieroglyphics.

16 kings ruled during this period and you see sculptures of them all over the site. They had interesting names like Smoke Jaguar and 18 Rabbit! It’s thought about 27,000 people lived here at its height.

Archaeologists think the collapse of the city at Copan was due to the agricultural resources being unable to support the rapidly growing population. By the year 1200 the royal city of Copan had been claimed by the jungle.

The first Europeans saw Copan ruins in 1576. It was another three centuries before there was a further mention of the city and it was this report that led Stephens and Catherwood to take their renowned journey to Central America in 1839.

What a brilliant visit!