The ruins of this ancient Mayan city were discovered about 150 years ago in a jungle on the border of Honduras and El Salvador. For their uniqueness, the Copan pyramids, erected in the first millennium of our era, were named by archaeologists "Athens of the New World". Hondurans are justly proud of the art and culture of their ancestors, elements of the Mayan pyramids and stone sculptures are reflected in modern architecture.
The Copan pyramids, which served as the cult center of the Maya Indians, were created during the heyday of the ancient civilization, which was called the "Great", and during the "New Empire". Then came the time of the decay and death of the ancient civilization. Unlike the majestic pyramids of the Egyptian pharaohs and the Aztecs, the temples of Copan are not striking in their gigantic size. Their main feature is the presence of a large number of steles and sculptural compositions. They have been well preserved to this day.
Copan was the second largest Mayan city after Tikal (in Guatemala), where the main trade routes flowed. The Maya were never distinguished by belligerence and knew how to get along with their neighbors. They devoted a lot of time to the arts and especially to architecture.
Copan Ceremonial Center. In ancient times, competitions were held here that were more of a cult than a sporting value, since the reward for victory was execution, or rather, sacrifice. The central part of the complex is a field for playing "pelota" - a ball game weighing about 3 kilograms. Nobles watched the competitions from the stairs of the temples. The captain of the winning team was beheaded at the Sacrificial Altar.
The altar was named so because the stairs leading to the top of the pyramid are lined with sculptures in the form of human skulls symbolizing the other world, as well as the heads of half-dragons-half-birds.
The most monumental structures, including the Altar and the field for playing "pelota", and whether they were built during the reigns of Umo-Haguar and Madrugada in the 7th-9th centuries AD. On the steles - images of the reigning persons. Especially famous was Umo-Haguar, who lived to a very respectable age - eighty-two years old and erected, in addition to seven steles, five more temples. On one of the steles adorning the ascent to the Altar, a mask of a jaguar is carved over the king's head - an animal that patronized the powerful ruler. The power and power of Umo-Haguar were so recognized that his followers did not dare to destroy the steles and monuments erected by him or to bury them according to the Mayan custom.
During excavations near the Sacrificial Altar, statuettes of Mayan gods and kings were found. One of them, now kept in the Copan Museum.
Legend has it that a young hunter met a beautiful Mayan princess dressed in a white veil in a jungle. She said that the gods were angry with her people and turned into snakes, which are doomed to eternal groveling. The princess asked to secretly lead her to the temple to ask the gods to remove the spell. But at the gate of the temple, the veil was torn from her. The girl turned into a terrible dragon, which, they say, still lives in the pyramids. Hondurans believe that when the gods lift the curse, the city will come to life again.
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