Country Article / Postcards

Honduras’ Best-Kept Mayan Secret

Date: 08/23/2005

Many people have heard of Chitzen Itza in Mexico and Tikal in Guatemala, but few seem to know about the other Mayan gem—just a four-hour drive from Guatemala City, across the Honduran border.

The Mayan city of Copán was the southernmost of the great Mayan cities and, like the others, it was mysteriously abandoned around 900 A.D. Today, the ruins are a UNESCO World Heritage site, a short walk from the town of Copán Ruinas.

Go early because it can heat up in the afternoon. The ruins are famous for their stelae—10-foot-high stones carved with stories of the Kings of Copán. Most impressive is the hieroglyphic staircase, which details hundreds of years of Copán history. And although you have to pay extra to enter the excavation tunnels put in by the archeologists, we found it well worth it—just make sure you get an English-speaking guide.

We stayed at the Via Via (www.viaviacafe.com) for a bargain basement price of less than $15 a night. There are also more upscale, luxurious places to stay—like the hacienda-style Hotel Marina (www.hotelmarinacopan.com), which has a pool, and most rooms have their own patios in lush tropical settings.

Kathleen Means
For International Living

Editor’s Note:To find out more about living in Honduras, sign up for IL’s newest free e-letter, Postcards from Honduras, here.

*VisitIL’s Honduras pagethis week to read the updates from IL’s man and woman in Honduras, Ron and Janine Goben, at the Live and Invest in Honduras Conference in La Ceiba:www.internationalliving.com/honduras