Copan Ruins

The main reason people come to Copan Ruinas is to see the Mayan Ruins here after which the town gets its name. We visited them today and (according to the unesco app) this is our 100th UNESCO World Heritage site.

The ruins are spread over a large area but the central plaza is impressive and you could see how 6,000 people could gather for sacred rituals or political events.

The interplay between nature and history struck me again with trees growing out of temples and root systems breaking into ancient pavements. The large colony of Scarlet Macaws were accompanied by many other birds including Collared Acari, Lessons and Turquoise Browed Motmot and two life ticks in Streak Backed Oriole and White-throated Magpie Jay.

The carvings here and small details were the most impressive we have seen to date, well preserved. Copan is most known for its stairway featuring the largest hieroglyphics in Mesoamérica.

This will be our last Mayan ruin on this trip as we are at the far south of their range. A very impressive civilisation.Read more