Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
A tomb thought to belong to a royal scribe and possibly one of the sons of Smoke Imix
was discovered underneath the Hieroglyphic Stairway in 1989. It was laden with painted
pottery and well-carved jade objects. Digging ever deeper below the stairway, in 1993 ar-
chaeologists uncovered an earlier temple called
Papagayo,
erected by Mat Head. Farther
below was a chamber dedicated to Yax K'uk'Mo', the city's original king. Archaeologists
calleditthe
Founder's Room
andbelieveitwasusedasaplaceofreverenceforthesham-
an king believed by subsequent kings to have been semidivine.
The Acropolis
Copán's dominating architectural feature is the massive Acropolis, which rises about 30
meters above the ground south of the Great Plaza. It is here that some of the more inter-
esting archaeological finds have been unearthed in recent years by digging tunnels under
existing structures to reveal what was originally beneath them.
South of the Hieroglyphic Stairway is a flight of steps running along the
Temple of the
Inscriptions.
Walls atop the stairway are carved with various glyphs. Toward the top of
thehieroglyphicstairwayisatemplecuriouslyadornedwithengravingsresemblingwoven
mats and appropriately named the
Mat House,
also known as Structure 22A. It was built
in A.D. 746 by Smoke Monkey shortly after the death of his predecessor, 18 Rabbit, and
provides further evidence of the new power-sharing arrangement with the city's nobility
after the shocking defeat at the hands of Quiriguá. It was thought to have operated as a
council house, the mats being a symbol for authority and community. South of here is
the
East Court,
the city's original plaza, underneath which were found the tombs of Yax
K'uk'Mo' and his wife. It is also known as the “Patio de los Jaguares.” Also buried in the
East Court, below
Structure 18,
was Yax Pac, though it was unfortunately discovered and
looted long before the arrival of archaeologists.
Between the East Court and nearby West Court lies
Structure 16,
which was dedicated
to the themes of death, war, and veneration of past rulers. The well-preserved
Rosalila
Temple
was found buried underneath here in 1989.
In the
West Court
at the base of Structure 16 is a replica of the magnificently carved
square monument known as
Altar Q,
depicting Yax Pac receiving the baton of rulership
from Yax K'uk'Mo' himself. The altar is adorned with four kings on each side, giving us a
complete line of succession for Copán's ruling dynasty of 16 kings from Yax K'uk'Mo' to
YaxPac,whocommissioneditscarvinginA.D.776.Itwasoncethoughttohaveportrayed
a gathering of astronomers, but recent advances in glyph decipherment have shed light on
its true meaning. The original can be seen in the Sculpture Museum. Behind the altar is a
sacrificial vault, which contained the remains of 15 jaguars and several macaws sacrificed
in honor of Yax Pac and his royal lineage.
Túnel Rosalila and Túnel de los Jaguares
