Agoutis in the Sun

Before bed last night, I read about some of the things to do here in Copí¡n, like horseback riding, bird-watching (more quetzales here than in all of Guatemala) and walks. If I drank beer, I would definitely try the Salva Vida. I wonder if it lives up to its name.

The locally written and published tourist guide—Honduras Tips: La Guí­a Oficial de Honduras, 2011—touted a visit to some hot springs.

45 minutes from Copí¡n Ruinas, this scenario is where the mountain streams opens its heart and the hot springs emerge to join smoothly with the cold river waters from Sesemil. Natural pools of warm water give travelers the opportunity of a private bathroom (and healthy) in the midst of nature.

Well, I sure don’t want to swim in a private bathroom, so I decided to begin with the thing I came here for: the Maya ruins. To beat the heat and the crowds, I got up early. First, I had to find a new place to stay. I walked to a hotel I’d visited yesterday, but nobody was there. I dragged my stuff down a rocky staircase at the bottom of a street to find another hotel, but it was hiding. Up and down between these two I went, until at last a guy showed up at the Hotel Yaragua. Even though it was only 7:30 a.m., he let me dump stuff in my room. He was as nice as the ViaVia person was useless.

It’s very hot here, even before the sun is fully up, so I tried to stay in the shade during the short walk to the ruins. Along the way are ancient sculptures in a field and by the side of the path. Higher in the hills, the mist hadn’t yet burned off, lending a sense of mystery.

Boy, is it expensive to visit this place: about $25 for access to the grounds, museum and excavation tunnels. Oh well. It’s worth it. I’ve never seen a place so meticulously maintained. There are grounds-people everywhere, picking up every stray leaf and twig from the grass. Others work to secure stones atop off-limits structures.

In past visits to ruins in Mexico and Guatemala, I’ve always wished I could have the place to myself even for a few minutes, to soak in the history and magic without being bumped by camera lenses. I got my chance, as you’ll see in the pictures.

What I like about this site is that it’s relatively small, so you can see everything and not get lost. What I don’t like (but archaeologists do) is that one of the temples has been covered by a massive tarp, protecting it from the elements but compromising that certain ancient civilization-y feel. One amazing thing about places like this is that we’re seeing only the most recent signs of life (200 to 900 AD) but beneath, there were even older societies.

Let me tell you a few things about this place that I learned from History Carved in Stone by Fash and Fasquelle, and then we’ll get to the photos.

Copí¡n is famous for its sculpture. The carvings here have greater relief and dimensionality than other sites: rounded faces and 3D creatures on facades, not just the shallower, flatter work of other places. Under each ruler, the Maya took down existing buildings to build on top of them. Sometimes, though, they left it standing and built above it. Here, they “embalmed” one in stucco before burying it. As you know, ruins aren’t usually known for being colorful, but in this case archaeologists have tunneled under and seen some of the original painting. In the museum they’ve built a replica of this older building, complete with authentic color.

I love the names of Ancient Maya rulers. When I grow up, I want to be an ancient Maya ruler. I think all the chiefs were direct descendants of the previous chief, just like in modern England, except the Queen doesn’t ritually sacrifice people as far as I know. There was Great-Sun First Quetzal Macaw, Mat Head, Waterlily Jaguar, 18 Rabbit, Smoke Monkey and Dawn (in that order) and eleven more.

A lot of their sculpture relates to war, death and the underworld. The bat is a dreaded symbol. But they also had a sense of humor. There are lots of carvings of “funny faces,” as good as any Dad might have drawn. And I love the Toothless Old Man of Copí¡n.

After many hundreds of years of flourishing, the society collapsed due to overpopulation. After the site was abandoned, the river washed away part of the site. The river has since been diverted away to prevent further erosion, but you can still see it in the distance.

Upon leaving the ruins, I saw some of the resident macaws after which kings were named. They’re wild, but the park staff has erected feeders for them so that they congregate picturesquely at the entrance. That was nice, but what made my heart rejoice were the sleek little sun-touched agoutis. They’re abundant in Costa Rica where I saw only one, so imagine my happiness as seeing a small herd.

After finishing with the ruins, I asked my hotel guy that to find out about horseback riding for me. My greatest fear here in Central America is that I will get confused when I discuss the matter. I’m terrified I’ll say Quisiera montar a caballero instead of Quisiera montar a caballo. The first means I want to ride a cowboy.

I spent the afternoon exploring the town: the river on the south side, and old jail on the north. I don’t know why, but I suddenly had a feeling that I should leave the town the next day instead of the day after. I went back and forth about it: When else will I be here? I should explore more. competing with It’s time to go back.

In the end, I let my instinct win out over my brain. I reserved the 6:00 a.m. shuttle and packed by flashlight since the power was out for the second chunk of time that day.