Stelae of the Maya Ruins in Copan, Honduras
Deep relief of Stela B (731 CE), Copan
Copan, in western Honduras on the border of Guatemala, is one of the premier Mayan sites; the ruined city (a thriving center from 426-822 CE) hosts more hieroglyphic inscriptions and sculpted monuments than any other Maya site.
The carved stelae are certainly one of the highlights. Stelae are single stone (green volcanic tuff at Copan) blocks. At Mayan sites, they were generally carved to celebrate “period endings”, which occurred upon completion of 360-day cycles; these cycles emphasized the cyclicality of life and the ruler’s role in the process of creation and destruction.
From stucco to stone
Copan’s first stelae appear under Ruler 11 (563-628), who initiated the change from modeled stucco decoration (adhered to the walls of architecture) to free-standing stone stelae; stelae construction gained momentum under Ruler 12 (628-695). While this move from stucco to stone might have been driven by purely cosmological or aesthetic reasons, deforestation was certainly a contributor (trees were needed as fuel to burn the limestone and create the lime needed from the stucco).
Ruler as divine intervener
Stelae were sponsored by the ruler and carved to depict his role as a divine intervener on behalf of his people. The vertical stelae linked the celestial (the residence of gods responsible for life and sustenance) and underworld (the residence of ancestors) to the world of the living – rulers were depicted at the center of the stelae, bridging the gap between these two worlds.
- Low relief of Stela P (623 CE), Copan
The sculptural style
Copan is known for the high-relief, naturalistic representations of its rulers sculpted on its many stelae. The stelae created during the reign of Rulers 11 and 12, while they still exhibit a degree of three-dimensionality, are relatively flat and two dimensional, compared to those created under Ruler 13 (695-738); this difference is clear in two exhibits (the first from Ruler 13 and the second from Ruler 11). Ruler 13’s stelae are nearly sculpted in the round, with tremendous depth and naturalism. These stelae represent the high-point of Mayan sculptural art.
Where to stay
Hacienda San Lucas. With just eight rooms, the Hacienda San Lucas is an excellent hotel, with an engaging owner, delicious homemade Maya and local Copan cuisine, friendly staff, and views overlooking the ruins. Highly recommended!
February 2nd, 2010 at 18:42
Looks like you’re having a wonderful adventure!
February 3rd, 2010 at 02:46
amazing sculptures. I’m very fascinated by the Maya Indians history. Loved the movie Apocalypto!
February 6th, 2010 at 11:19
Social comments and analytics for this post…
This post was mentioned on Twitter by approachguides: Learn about the amazing stelae of the Maya in Copan, Honduras http://bit.ly/9CutHa #traveltuesday #lp…
February 7th, 2010 at 07:16
Can you believe we were in Honduras and didn’t go to Copan? It is a little regret that we have. We had gone to ChitzenItza, Tikal and Tulum and by the time we got to Honduras, we were ready to dive, dive, dive. We spent all our time underwater and there are wonderful things to explore above!
You always have such great facts, when we go through Central America again, we will be sure to stop here!
February 10th, 2010 at 14:50
@Kathy We are having a great time – although we are not too sad about missing the snow, we are looking forward to returning to NYC!
@sofia I agree with you that the history of the Maya is fascinating – the transmission of ideas across empires led to incredible architecture and sculpture, like what you see above.
@Dave and Deb: I can completely understand how you did not make it to Copan – it is very difficult to travel between Copan and the Honduran coast where the diving is – we took 5 different modes of transport to get between the two destinations. Logistically, we recommend combining Copan with Guatemala (less distraction in terms of diving too!)
February 23rd, 2010 at 21:04
I appreciate the level of detail in your posts. Some day, (soon) I need to venture to Copan myself. Thanks for the intelligence.
Stay adventurous,
Craig