The Triple Crown of Ruins
Trip Start
May 01, 2006
1
25
Trip End
Ongoing
Copán Ruinas, Honduras
Sunday, July 16, 2006
Considerably less difficult and illustrious, but fun nonetheless, is to complete what has been called The Triple Crown of Ruins. This term (coined by me, thank you) refers to the accomplishment of having visited three of the major Mayan ruins of Central America within the same trip.
Having Mexico´s Palenque and Guatemala´s Tikal under my belt, I could taste the veritable sweetness of the The Triple Crown as I crossed the border into Honduras. The town near the Copán ruins, confusingly also called
"Copán Ruinas", is the ideal launch-pad to the nearby site. The droves of muchachos wearing cowboy hats, trotting around on horseback, give impressions of older and simpler times. The white buildings capped with adobe tile make this place feel more like an old pueblo than a modern settlement, yet the amenities are enough to keep the passer-through comfortable.
The town is quaint indeed but the ruins by the same name really steal the show - Copán is widely regarded as one of the most spectacular sites in Mesoamerica. True, its pyramids are fewer than Palenque´s and the heights of its tallest buildings are nowhere near those in Tikal. Yet Tikal and Palenque, plus Chichen Itza, Uxmal or any of the other great Mayan sites, lack the substance of Copán´s finest trait - intricacy.
What Copán lacks in quantity, it returns ten-fold with detail. Other sites boast sheer size, Copán offers pure precision. Perhaps its greatest feature is also its most famous - a massive hieroglyphic stairway that covers an entire side of the central plaza and that details the divine genealogy of Copan´s kings. Thousands of years of history are represented in the stairway's complex carvings and statues, making it far and away the largest set of hieroglyphs anywhere in Mesoamerica. Unfortunately the intricacy of the monument is also its weakness; the stairway is particularly susceptible to the elements and thus is covered by a huge canopy (an ugly but understandable necessity). Beside being an eyesore, the cover blocks sunlight that would otherwise make for great photos of the inscriptions, which are truly incredible. Here´s an external link to a picture of the stairway (it was undergoing repairs and half covered with plastic during my visit).
Luckily, other parts of the site were in great condition (and light). This is especially true of the stellae (giant pillars and columns with religious significance), which are strewn all across the area and which too are considered the finest in Mesoamerica. Enjoy!
Comments
umm
Your my hero! You friggin Rock! Beautious John! I am soo very jelous, the pics are amazing, breathtaking and just plain Awsome man! I feel like I am there with you, I love the commentary! 4 stars for you! Be Safe Mr. we miss and love ya.
Peace out
James Brown and the Mar Man!
Re: umm
No Jamesbrown, YOU ROCK! No one posts as many comments as you, it´s great to hear from my crew back home, it´s also great to hear that you´re enjoying the site... so I´ll be back in about a month, looking forward to seeing you and the boy and your old ball and chain! j
awww
You know me, that creepy girl standing outside your window licking her lips, 'Boy I just wanna feed you!' Awsome, so glad your comming home, I can't wait to give that beard a lil tug!! Then knock it off with all my skills I've learned in boxing class! I have been kicking some major booty, not to mention getting rung up a few times humbles one to not talk so much shit! I friggin love it though and its all thanks to your suggestion, mighty wise Capi! Your going to be astonished when you see the Mar man, he's masive and so funny, boy he sure does love his daddy, in the mornings he walks into every room looks for eric and says daddy? then grabs my hand and leads me into the next room looking for daddy! I did such a good job, go me! Well Much love and a safe return home goes out to you capi, take care and don't let those monkeys give you any shit!! Word Brotha!
James brown!
Hey you! Yeah you!
Hi love just wanted to check in with you and make sure you are still kicking and screaming! Your journey has touched all of us and we appriciate you sharing it and making us feel like part of it! Even though I am younger than you I feel so proud of you, so brave John to follow your dreams! Eric and I can't wait to see you and hear all about the adventures of Captian Yeah Guy! Take Care, Be safe, Rock and Roll baby!
One Love
James Brown
P.S Marley is growing like a weed.When you call his name he answers 'what' and 'yeah' he says 'doggie, woof woof' and 'tank you'! and 'uncle' He told me he misses you too!