Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
History
Pre-Columbian
People have been living in the Copán Valley since at least 1200 BC; ceramic evidence has
been found from around that date. Copán must have had significant commercial activity
since early times, as graves showing marked Olmec influence have been dated to around
900 to 600 BC.
In the 5th century AD one royal family came to rule Copán, led by a mysterious king
named Mah K'ina Yax K'uk' Mo' (Great Sun Lord Quetzal Macaw), who ruled from AD
426 to 435. Archaeological evidence indicates that he was a great shaman, and later kings
revered him as the semidivine founder of the city. The dynasty ruled throughout Copán's
florescence during the Classic period (AD 250-900).
Of the subsequent kings who ruled before AD 628 we know little. Only some of their
names have been deciphered: Mat Head, the second king (no relation to Bed Head); Cu Ix,
the fourth king; Waterlily Jaguar, the seventh; Moon Jaguar, the 10th; and Butz' Chan, the
11th.
Among the greatest of Copán's kings was Smoke Imix (Smoke Jaguar; r 628-695), the
12th king. Smoke Imix built Copán into a major military and commercial power in the re-
gion. He may have taken over the nearby princedom of Quiriguá, as one of the famous
