THE TWO COPANS
There are two Copans in Honduras, the ruins and the town, which is confusingly named Copan Ruinas. We are staying in the town and head into the ruins in the morning, which are about 1 km to the east of town. With the bad weather of the previous day, I was determined to reach this site even if I had to swim.The ruins at Copan are essentially divided into two sections. The lower section, where one first enters, includes many stelae, a small pyramid, and several relatively low structures. I wander these, photographing in both color and black & white. We are told that 85% of the stelae that we see are original, the remaining 15% having been replaced with replicas.
The second section requires a bit of a climb and includes the Acropolis and much taller structures. Again, I photograph in color and black & white. The 15% of the stelae that have been replaced by replicas can be found in the adjoining Museo de Escultura, which requires one to enter through the mouth of a snake and follow a sinuous tunnel to reach the entrance, where one is greeted with a replica of the impressive Rosalila Temple.
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