"Copan Ruinas and the ruins" Departamento de Copán by skullcrusher

Just like darn near every other tourist that has made his/her way to this part of Honduras, I came to the Departmento de Copan because I wanted to view the famous Copan ruins. I've been to some of the best known ancient places of the world and you'd think that I would be jaded to the experience of roaming among ruins by now ..... but the little "wanna be archeologist" in me just can't seem to get enough of this stuff.

Crossing the border from Guatemala into Honduras wasn't without it's share of annoyances. However, once I reach the lovely little town of Copan Ruinas I felt it was worth the aggravation. Copan Ruinas is a nice, mellow town with a beautiful setting and a good tourist infrastructure. Despite the tourist hordes that pass through, the town still hasn't become a theme park just yet. It helps to be able to speak at least passable Spanish - though obviously not mandatory. Besides the nice eateries and internet cafes (slow connections) there are a few good museums in town. The one I liked the most was the Museo de Arqueologia Maya. It has a good collection of items that were recovered from the ruins site.

The actual ruins of Copan is about a kilometer east of the town. You can either go on a tour, take a taxi to the site, or simply walk down the road to the park entrance. As usual I opted to walk because I like to walk and the path to the site is pleasant and safe. The ruins are quite impressive and the carvings are different from other sites I've visited before. Sadly, the on-site Museum of Sculpture was closed when I was there, but one of the guides told me that they plan to open it again sometime around Februaury of 2006. I've heard people say me that a visit to Copan is a good way to prepare for the splendors of Tikal (which I plan to visit very soon). Well I'd certainly say it is worth the effort if you are into ancient civilizations, especially since it's only a 5-6 hour ride from Guatemala City & Antigua respectively.

This photo was taken in the area of Copan Ruinas town in western Honduras.