Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
covered the bones of 15 jaguars and several macaws that were probably sacrificed to the
glory of Yax Pasaj Chan Yopaat and his ancestors.
This group of temples, known as the Acrópolis, was the spiritual and political core of
the site - reserved for royalty and nobles, a place where ceremonies were enacted and
kings buried.
The East Court also contains evidence of Yax Pasaj Chan Yopaat - his
tomb
, beneath
Estructura 18. Unfortunately, the tomb was discovered and looted long before archaeolo-
gists arrived. Both the East and West Courts hold a variety of fascinating stelae and sculp-
tured heads of humans and animals. To see the most elaborate relief carving, climb Estruc-
tura 22 on the northern side of the East Court. This was the
Templo de Meditación
(Temple of
Meditation) and has been heavily restored over recent years.
1
Túnel Rosalila & Túnel de los Jaguares
In 1999, archaeologists opened up to
Túnel Rosalila & Túnel de los Jaguares
(admission L300)
, which
allows visitors to get a glimpse of pre-existing structures below the visible surface struc-
tures. The first, Rosalila, is very short and takes only a few visitors at a time. The famous
temple is only barely exposed, and behind thick glass. The other tunnel, Los Jaguares, was
originally 700m in length, but a large section has been closed, reducing it to about 80m,
running along the foundations of Temple 22. This tunnel exits on the outside of the main
site, so you must walk around the base and rear of the main site to get back in again.
While fascinating, it's hard to justify the extra you pay to get in.
1
Museo de Escultura
While Tikal is celebrated for its tall temple pyramids and Palenque is renowned for its
limestone relief panels, Copán is unique in the Maya world for its sculpture. Some of the
finest examples are on display at this impressive
museum
(Museum of Sculpture; admission L140)
,
opened in August 1996. Entering the museum is an experience by itself: You go through
the mouth of a serpent and wind through the entrails of the beast before suddenly emer-
ging into a fantastic world of sculpture and light.
The highlight of the museum is a full-scale replica of the Rosalila Temple, which was
discovered in nearly perfect condition by archaeologists in 1989 by means of a tunnel dug
into Structure 16, the central building of the Acropolis. Rosalila, dedicated in AD 571 by
Copán's 10th ruler, Moon Jaguar, was apparently so sacred that when Structure 16 was
