Copán is one of the southernmost Maya cities. It is located in Honduras in the Motagua basin region which forms the southeastern periphery of the Maya Lowlands (see map). It is a forest environment crossed by rivers, including one (Copán river) that runs alongside the city and partially destroyed it (fig. 1).

The monumental center of Copán spreading over less then 2 km² (3 square miles) is much smaller than Tikal and different by its organization. It is mainly composed of an acropolis forming the southern part, a great plaza forming the northern part, a ballcourt located in between the two and sacbes leading to peripheral residential complexes (fig. 2).

Unlike Tikal, the pyramid-temples and the palaces occupy distinct areas. While the pyramid-temples form a central complex (fig. 3), the palaces form peripheral complexes seperated from the center by a few kilometers (fig. 4). It is possible these differences in settlement pattern involved differences in social organization. It has been proposed that there was a segmentary political organization where government was more divided than centralized. Power would thus have been shared between the ruler living in the center and nobles living in the periphery.

Fig. 1: Landscape of Copán.

Fig. 2: Model of the monumental center of  Copán, Copán Museum.

The city flourished for six centuries and was governed by a dynasty of sixteen rulers among which the founder Yax K'uk' Mo' who came to power around A.D. 426, Smoke Imix (12th) who established Copán as a military and economic power around A.D. 650, 18-Rabbit (13th) who built the ballcourt and defined the artistic style of Copán with the many stelas he erected in the Great Plaza, Smoke Shell (15th) who built the hieroglyphic stairway, the longest text in Precolumbian America, as an attempt to restore the glory of the royal dynasty after the death of 18-Rabbit, and Yax Pasaj (16th) to whom we owe the last sculptures of the city before its abandonment such as the many facade sculptures and Altar Q revealing the royal lineage and the identity of the founder.

Fig. 3: Plan of the monumental center of Copán. (after Webster 1989)

Fig. 4: Plan of a residential complex (Group 9N-8). (after Webster 1989)