One more easy border crossing and a couple buses later, assisted again by the extremely friendly drivers and ticket-guys to Copán Ruins, Honduras' premier Mayan city site, and a perfect place to celebrate the turning of the longest-running Mayan calendar.
We rolled into the small town to find it humming with activity, primarily from Centroamericanos and news reporters. Despite the surprising lack of enormous gringo delegation that we were expecting, it still took 5 or 6 hotels to find an open room; when we did, we were happy to find that the owner had not sent her prices through the roof.
The smallish town is perched on a hill not 700m from the ruins, and it contains a great central park that was packed with bands and audiences for the duration of our stay. Tourist bars were easy to find and easy to make friends at. Street vendors selling roast beef and pork for a few dollars kept us well fed.
The ruins, called the "Paris of the Mayan World" by some were quite impressive; the carvings' incredible relief means that despite its smaller size, the city retains much of its former glory. We both paid out of our noses to get in and be guided around, but the temples, stelae, and ornate hieroglyphic stairway made it worthwhile.
I was fascinated to learn that through the 16 kings of Copán (symbolized by a leaf-nosed bat hieroglyph), each would construct their temples and courtyards over those of his predecessor. Tunnels underneath the grounds gave a glimpse of some of the ornate stucco decorations on older temples.
We finished our tour of the city in time for the evening's celebrations: 13 B'aktun, or the first day of the new (largest) Mayan ~5125 year cycle of 13 B'aktuns. Their perception was that the previous world era ended at the end of the last 13 B'aktuns (3114 BC) and that the next would end today, Dec 21, 2012. Just a change in era, not an apocalypse. Read more here: Mesoamerican Long Count Calendar (Wikipedia). Festivities included a concert complete with Beethoven, tenors and sopranos, and colonial/mayan dance performances. The atmosphere was celebratory and optimistic and not at all fearful or reckless.
Early bus the next morning to Aaron's last stop, Antigua, Granada
EDIT: memory card devoured by computer...thats what I get for trying to upload
We rolled into the small town to find it humming with activity, primarily from Centroamericanos and news reporters. Despite the surprising lack of enormous gringo delegation that we were expecting, it still took 5 or 6 hotels to find an open room; when we did, we were happy to find that the owner had not sent her prices through the roof.
The smallish town is perched on a hill not 700m from the ruins, and it contains a great central park that was packed with bands and audiences for the duration of our stay. Tourist bars were easy to find and easy to make friends at. Street vendors selling roast beef and pork for a few dollars kept us well fed.
The ruins, called the "Paris of the Mayan World" by some were quite impressive; the carvings' incredible relief means that despite its smaller size, the city retains much of its former glory. We both paid out of our noses to get in and be guided around, but the temples, stelae, and ornate hieroglyphic stairway made it worthwhile.
I was fascinated to learn that through the 16 kings of Copán (symbolized by a leaf-nosed bat hieroglyph), each would construct their temples and courtyards over those of his predecessor. Tunnels underneath the grounds gave a glimpse of some of the ornate stucco decorations on older temples.
We finished our tour of the city in time for the evening's celebrations: 13 B'aktun, or the first day of the new (largest) Mayan ~5125 year cycle of 13 B'aktuns. Their perception was that the previous world era ended at the end of the last 13 B'aktuns (3114 BC) and that the next would end today, Dec 21, 2012. Just a change in era, not an apocalypse. Read more here: Mesoamerican Long Count Calendar (Wikipedia). Festivities included a concert complete with Beethoven, tenors and sopranos, and colonial/mayan dance performances. The atmosphere was celebratory and optimistic and not at all fearful or reckless.
Early bus the next morning to Aaron's last stop, Antigua, Granada
EDIT: memory card devoured by computer...thats what I get for trying to upload
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