Copan: Days 8 & 9

Hey guys! Sorry for the lack of a post yesterday. Some of the other field-schoolers and I had to switch hotels for a night due to some previous bookings, and unfortunately there was no internet service there. Please forgive me!

Yesterday I traipsed around town for the first time. It was nice to finally discover what Copan Ruinas had to offer. There are a ton of souvenir shops, so I picked up a few things to bring home with me. If you guys want me to get you anything, please let me know! Comment here or send me an e-mail. They have t-shirts, jewelry, replicas of famous monuments and what-not, everything! So let me know!

I also had pizza for dinner last night and place called Jim's Pizza. And it was really good. Amazing: I'm in Honduras eating pizza. That is not right.

Today was our first day of excavations at Rastrojon. Woo! We all got our own trowel, line level, and measuring tape. The place where we are digging is at the top of Structure 4, which they think is the residence of some noble or other person of power. It doesn't look like that, of course. More like a giant hill spattered with pieces of stone and creepy orange centipedes. Over time, temples and structures succumb to the wrath of earthquakes and other forces of nature and tumble apart. It is our job to uncover and piece back together what we can.

We actually got rained out of the excavations today. The units are covered with tin roofing, which made standing on the top of a structure during a lightning storm even more frightening, so we got the heck out of there.

Anyway, no pictures in the past two days. Here are some of the panoramic shots I took on the second day I was here, touring the Principal Group.

I believe this is a picture of Temple 16. I apologize for not being more familiar with the area in advance, but it is easy to get lost in the numbers.

Here is the view from the top of the river cut by the Acropolis. The river unfortunately washed away a few buildings which would have been in the picture otherwise. Instead, we are left with this view. We have to thank the mighty Gustav Stromsvik for diverting the river and saving the rest of the Acropolis in the 1930s.

This is a view of Structure 32, I believe, which is a royal residential center right behind the Acropolis. It is thought that the last ruler of Copan lived here.

And the ballcourt! Can't you just imagine the games they played here? Behind it, you can see the tarp covering the Hieroglyphic Stairway.

Don't forget to tell me if you want something!! I am here to serve. Love you all!