Copan: Day 3, Part 1

Alright! I think I have figured out a plan that should keep everyone, including myself, sane and happy. Through Picasa, I am able to upload pictures a lot more reliably, and even a little faster. However, Blogger only allows a maximum of four photos to be uploaded to a post at a time, and the time it takes for each photo is still too slow to feasibly post all photos from a single day at once.

So, for each day I will pick my favorite 4 pictures to share. This first week that I am here is the touristy part of the trip, hence why I have been able to take so many pictures. But a week from today we start excavating at Rastrojon. I figure there will be few if any pictures to share since I will be working during the day. This gives me the perfect opportunity to start posting other pictures from previous days. So on the days I am digging, I can start chipping away at the photos I couldn't post on the day I took them. Problem solved, and attention retained.

Yesterday, I walked around the ruins of Copan. I don't think I have been more impressed by anything in my life. Bill intentionally left us to our own devices; he wanted us to interpret what we saw for ourselves, and form our own conclusions. It was really nice to move at my own pace and absorb what I could. I really hope to be your eyes for this trip, even if I can't explain the full significance of what I saw. Here are a few photos from this adventure:

In the middle of the plaza was a pyramid of sorts. There weren't any inscriptions on it as far as I could see, but the steps to the top seemed to make perfect bleachers for events that could have taken place there. Of course, I climbed to the top (who wouldn't) and had a lovely view of the plaza. I also met these fellas:

These are scarlet macaws. Absolutely beautiful, and very loud. These birds were all over the site, both in live form and in inscriptions & sculpture. Actually, the name of the founder of Copan in Yax K'uk' Mo, which means Blue-green Quetzal Macaw. These birds were pretty important, so it's cool to see they are still around. Unfortunately, because of the deforestation due to farming, the same isn't true for the beautiful Quetzal. Don't worry, they aren't extinct, but you can't see them at Copan.

I discovered my new digital camera has a panoramic photo setting. Take three pictures in a row, and it will stitch them together for you. Pretty cool! It made for some good shots of the Acropolis, as you can see here:

The little canopy you see at the bottom right is actually an entrance to the Rosalila tunnel, which penetrates Structure 26. I went through that today, and I'll be sure to elaborate on that later.

Did I mention it was pouring rain? Good thing I had my poncho!

Damn, I look good!

And finally, my favorite part of Copan: the Hieroglyphic Stairway. This is the longest inscription in the New World, and was commissioned by Ruler 15 as a way to glorify the lives of Copan's past rulers. That hole you see in the middle? I believe that the likeness of Ruler 13 should be there. Where is he? Well, the 3rd floor of Harvard's Peabody Museum. Maybe I'll tell more of that story later, but for now, you are spared.

So there's a glimpse at the site of Copan. Today, we went through the tunnels that run through these amazing temples. Since rulers literally built on top of existing structures, there are older temples and burials preserved within what we see today. I will be on later tonight and will show you a little bit of what I am talking about.

But for now, I have some reading to do!