The Mayan Civilization in Copan

  

The Maya civilization in its pre-Columbus era was a great civilization noted for the only known fully developed written language in America, spectacular Mayan art, monumental architecture, and sophisticated  mathematical and astronomical systems.

“Los Mayas”  as they’re called in spanish, established their first foundations around 1,000 B.C.in Mesoamerica, which comprehends the actual Yucatán Península, south east Guatemala, Belice & west of Honduras. At its peak, it was one of the most densely populated and culturally dynamic societies in the world.

Because of its greatness and beautiful monuments 3 cities stood up from the rest : Chichen Itza in Mexico, Tikal in Guatemala and Copan in Honduras.

Copan was called Xukpi by the ancient mayan  and is often called in modern times “Alexandria of the Americas”, it is known for its beautiful temples,altars & stelae. It’s peak  was at the “Delayed Classical period” around 600 A.D. and declined around 900 A.D. so when the Spaniards arrived in the 16^th Century Copan had been abandoned long time ago.

Copan Ruins  

 

The actual Ruins of Copan are located in the municipalities of Santa Rita & Copan Ruinas which are located 60 kilometer from the southern Guatemalan border.

It remained covered by dense forest for centuries, known only to a few local tribes that had no means of comunication to tell  the world of this marvelous Lost world.

It was only when Juan Galindo , a Central American army officer who ventured these lands in the 19^th century and wrote about the ruins, this interested the explorer & travel writer John Lloyd Stephen and English architect Frederick Catherwood. They visited a total of 44 sites of the Mayan world and mapped locations accurately , describing in great detail not seen before, they published 2 books with illustrations by Catherwood.  These books sparked the world’s interest to start deep investigations & uncovering of secrets set in stone  by the maya in their mysterious cities which continues today as part of several large investigations on different sites.

Social Structure

The Maya of Copan  were divided in 4 different social classes : Nobles, traders, plebeians & slaves. Which lived in 4 different Living zones with the main zones for the Nobles in the center & from there out for the other classes; It was a monarchyst dynasty which means the Throne was passed along  from fathers to sons; The king or “Halach Uinic” plus a Council of Nobles ruled Copan nad in some adjescent towns there was a deputy or “Batab”.

The first ruler of Copan was Yax Kuc Mo and the last one, 16^th, was Yax Pac, other famous rulers were “Humo Jaguar” & “18 Rabbitt”  

Mayan Religion 

Farmers as they were, they adored several Gods related to agricultural activities such as :

• “Kinich Ahau”…King of the Sun
• “Ixchel”………..King of the Moon
• “Chaac”………..King of the Rain
• “Yum Cax”…….King of Corn
• “Kukulcan”…….King of Wind
• “Itzamna”………King of The Sky
• “Ek Chua”……..King of Cocoa
• “Ah Puch”……..King of Death

Their temples & plazas are believed to had been ceremonial centers.

           

Architecture 

Copan is known for its monumental architecture & sculpture, amongst the most famous pieces are :

• “Hieroglyphic Stairway”  built by the 15^th ruler of Copan, Smoke Shell, who pushed for a renaissance period never seen before, The Stairway is made of 1,250 stone blocks and measures 50 feet wide, 72 steps of 1.5 foot each…..it contains 2,500 hieroglyphs which is  principally a dynastic record of the kings of Copán — a sort of text version of what we see on Altar Q.
• “Altar Q”. It defines the dynasty line of Copan, it was built by the 16^th ruler  Yax Pac.
• The Great Plaza. Built by 18 Rabbit located at the north part of the Acropolis, it has numerous stelae & altars.
• Temple “Rosa Lila”. It was built in 571 A.D. and buried intact (opposite to Mayan costume in which  new dynasties  would built upon old structure burying old monument which would be severely damaged), it’s a 14 mts. Stucco monument of 13 by 19 mts. Stained in red which means life,blood & sunrise. It was dedicated to  Yax Kuk Mo as divinity of the Sun.
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  The Ball Court . One of the most famous structures.

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  Copan’s Great Ballcourt was apparently dedicated duríng the reign of the ruler 18 Rabbit. The Great Ballcourt is located southwest of structure lOL-26 and constituted a transition between the public space of the  Great Plaza to the north and the forbidden temples and palaces of Copan’s rulers in the Acropolis to the south. The date of its dedication is recorded on the eastern structure, and has been read as 9.15.6.8.13, only 113 days before 18 Rabbit’s capture and executíon by Cauac Sky of Quírigua.

Science

Great knowledge is believed had been achieved by the Mayan scientists.

In Math, they knew  the concept of  zero 1,000 years before Europeans did. They used a vigecimal system where a dot “.” Was equivalent to 1, a short line “-“  was equivalent to 5. they knew how to add, sustract, multiply & divide.

In Astronomy, they studied the Sun, Moon & Venus…..they measured the revolution of the moon: 29.5 days + a fraction….also measured the revolution of the Sun : 365.25 days….the revolution of Venus : 584 days – small fraction.

The Mayan Calendar.

They actually developed 2 calendars : 1 ritual calendar called Tzolkia of 260 days and the Civil calendar called Haal which consisted of : 18 months(huinal) of 20 days(kin) plus 5 days which were considered of bad luck and were devoted to fast or rest…in mayan day is kin, month = uinal, 360days = tun, 20 years = katun, 400 years = baktun.

Writing. They used hieroglyphs which are basically symbols.

Decline of Ancient Mayan

There are several theories that try to explain the decline of the Maya Civilization in Copan, among the most know are the following :

• Ground Exhaustion. Because the maya cultivated extense corn fields which is known to exhaust the ground severely.
• Corn based diet. A solely corn diet is known to lead to undernourishment, this combined with cause #1 caused the mayans to  grew weaker  year after year.
• Illneses. Paludism amongst others…this is a weak theory.
• Earthquakes & hurricanes…not a popular thory given the Copan area is not near volcanoes nor near shores.
• Overpopulation.
• Demographics. Its been determined that in certain time there were more women than men.
• Rebelions.
• Foreign invations. (Mexicans?). uncertain, is they were this foreign force did not leave signs of their existence.
• The most popular theory is that its decline was a combination of several factors.

By the 16^th Century when the Spaiards came to Copan, the ceremonial site had been abandoned long ago.

In my next article I’ll try to describe the actual situation of Copan Ruins as a one of the most important touristics locations in Honduras & Central America.

 by: Jennifer Marie Jordan

Many people may think of Honduras and recall a memory from 7th grade that involves a map of Central America, a pop quiz, and a prayer. For the avid cigar smoker, however, Honduras is thought of as much more. One of the biggest tobacco producers on our planet, cigar lovers think of Honduras as a virtual Mecca, a place where tobacco seeds go to make their parents proud.

Honduras, located near Guatemala, El Salvador, and Nicaragua, is a country made up of an instable history, one that involved fights for independence, hurricane devastation, human rights violations, and political diversity. Together these have all caused Honduras to be among the poorest countries in Central America. But, unlike some of its adjacent countries, Honduras is rich with cigar making ingredients: when Central American neighbors want to borrow a cup of tobacco, the door of Honduras is one of the first places they knock.

Honduras is a segment of Mesoamerica, the nickname given to the land that reaches from Mexico to Costa Rica. Because Mesoamerica is located in an area home to a wide range of animals and plants, it’s known as a biodiversity hotspot, an area with diverse resources that are threatened by destruction. At last count, Honduras was in possession of over 6,000 species of plant, with one of these being tobacco.

Similar to the cigars made in the Dominican Republic, some Honduras tobacco has Cuban roots, with many tobacco growers fleeing Castro’s rule and planting themselves, and their seeds, in other countries. In fact, the early 1960’s saw expert cigar makers come over to Honduras from Havana, with approval from Castro’s government, to help with tobacco growing techniques. While initially intending to return to Cuba, some of these experts remained in Honduras, keeping with them their knowledge from Cuba’s tobacco past and the tools for Honduras’ tobacco future.

The climate of Honduras is extremely appealing to tobacco growers, with an environment that allows all varieties of tobacco seeds to thrive, particularly Cuban seed tobaccos and Connecticut seed tobaccos. This growing environment ultimately allows the tobacco grown in Honduras to be full-bodied, flavorful, strong, and in possession of a heavy aroma.

The cigars from Honduras have worked to make a name for themselves, becoming a cigar that connoisseurs routinely seek to take out for a smoke. With the fertility of the land, the natural resources, and the knowledge passed down from generation to generation, tobacco makers in Honduras have been able to perfect the growing of home grown seeds, delivering cigars that are 100 percent Honduran.

Many Cuban companies continue to work on Honduras lands and many American companies have also taken root in the cities of Danli and the San Pedro Sula. Established as cigars made of the highest quality, cigars from Honduras sell frequently in the US, with only cigars from the Dominican Republic selling more often. This popularity has transcended continents, as Honduras cigars have started to gain popularity in parts of the United Kingdom, like a cigar sent off for a successful European tour.

While Cuban cigars were once without competition, viewed by so many as the only cigar on the market that could not be rivaled, Honduras cigars are beginning to gain momentum, challenging Cubans to a bout of greatness. When it comes to the cigar loving population of the US, it may only be a matter of time before cigars from Honduras beat Cubans; since Cuban cigars can’t get into America, they will have to forfeit.

As Honduras cigars gain in reputation, the country of Honduras also begins to gain ground, rebuilding from past destruction and turmoil. As the demand for Honduran cigars increase, the amount of acreage used to grow tobacco increases and the amount of revenue the country of Honduras receives from exports begins to rise as well. If this keeps up, we can only hope that someday Honduras will be as rich as the cigars it produces.