In 1570 Diego Garcia de Palacio discovered a superb complex of Mayan ruins in the Copan valley of Western Honduras. Eventually the site became recognized as a major center of ancient Mayan civilization. Modern travelers to the archaeological park can discover a wealth of excavated temples, a ball court, elaborated carved stones steles, and 63-step stairway inscribed with the longest pre-Columbian hieroglyphic text in the Americas. A new attraction at the ruins is the Copan Sculpture Museum, opened in 1996. Described as the Athens or Paris of the New World, The Maya city of Copan attained artistic achievements that where unrivaled in the Maya World. At the height of its influence, Copan covered 24 square kilometers and was home to about 20.000 people. Archaeologists have unraveled a dynastic sequence of 17 rulers at Copan, beginning with Yax Kuk Mo in 426 A.D. and ending with U Cit Tok in about 820. Some of the city’s most outstanding where the 13th king, 18-Rabbit, who erected many of the stele seen today in the great Plaza, and Humo Caracol, the 15th king, who built the famed hieroglyphic staircase, with the longest text ever carved into stone by the Mayas.

Guides at Copan have been trained by some of the worlds leading archaeologists and provide accurate, timely information about the ruins and ongoing excavations.

Copan Ruins Village
The park also features a cafeteria, a gift shop with great crafts from throughout Honduras, a picnic area and a natural history trail that loops through the forest to one side of the ruins.

Within walking distance of the archaeological park is the little town of Copan Ruins.
Comfortable lodging and diverse restaurants in a wide price range can be found in the town, as well as a small archaeological museum and dozens of shops selling crafts and souvenirs. Craftsmen in the town carve replicas of Copan’s most famous sculptures in soft, volcanic rock quarried nearby. A Spanish school offers a "total immersion" language experience, with one-on-one instruction and boarding with local families.

Tours around Copan, which can be done on horseback, include trips to the “sepulturas” and “Los Sapos” archaeological sites, passing through tobacco farms that line Copan River. Visitors can also visit a contemporary Maya Chortí village, a waterfall, hot springs and coffee plantations. Bird watching tours are available and about 260 species of birds have been identified in the Copan area.

El Puente Archaeological Site
Not far from Copan is another Maya archaeological site, known as “El Puente”. Much smaller than Copan, this satellite town has been recently excavated and several partially restored pyramids are found a short distance from the visitor’s center. The ruins, located along the Chinamito River, offer some good bird watching opportunities. At the visitor center is a small museum, a cafeteria and a crafts shop.