Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
In addition to the ruins, the nearby town of
Copán Ruinas
has become increasingly
popular as a destination unto itself for its excellent restaurants and accommodations. From
here, you can explore the ruins and the surrounding countryside with ease.
The bare-bones border crossing at
El Florido
(open 6 A.M.-6 P.M.) includes some basic
servicesbutlittleelse.TherearesomesnackandsodastandsandaBanruralwhichchanges
dollars and travelers checks. Ubiquitous money changers are also on-hand to help you
change your quetzales for Honduran lempiras. Note that many tourist places in Copán take
quetzales.
Crossing the border is fairly straightforward. If you're driving a rental car, you'll need
to present a written letter from your rental-car agency allowing you to take the vehicle in-
to Honduras. Otherwise, you'll have to leave it at the border. As at other border crossings,
you may be asked to fork over a dollar or two in the form of an “unofficial” exit tax. Most
Western nationalities, including U.S. citizens, need only a passport to get into Honduras;
no visas are required. You can either get a three-day permit to enter and visit Copán and
vicinity only or request a 30-day or 90-day entry permit by filling out an official request
form. It all depends on your nationality what length of stay you're allowed. In either case
officials will probably try to extract a dollar or two from you, both on the Guatemalan and
Honduran sides. If on a three-day permit, you can still use your original entry stamp into
Guatemala upon your return to continue traveling for the rest of your stay in the country.
Once in Honduras, there are onward buses from the border to Copán Ruinas every 30
minutesorso($2).Headingback,thelastbusfromElFloridotoChiquimulaleavesat4:30
P.M., but you are exhorted to cross the border much earlier in the day. To call Honduras,
the country code is 504. Phone numbers are seven digits long. As in Guatemala, there are
no area codes or city codes.
Early Copán
Although the fertile Copán Valley is thought to have been inhabited as early as 1,400 B.C.,
archaeological evidence points to its not having been occupied by the Mayans until around
A.D.100.RecordedhistoryatthesitedoesnotbeginuntilA.D.426withtheestablishment
of Copán's royal dynasty. The site's early history was unearthed as recently as 1989, when
excavations under the hieroglyphic stairway revealed a chamber subsequently nicknamed
the
Founder's Room.
The chamber is thought to have been built by Copán's second ruler,
Mat Head
(after the odd-looking headdress with which he is depicted on stelae) in hon-
