Extra Credit – Copán Ever since I was young I have always loved history, so my choice to be a history major was no surprise. Visiting foreign lands, understanding how people lived, and learning how civilizations were formed was always exciting to me and is something that I live for. I have traveled around the world to places like Italy, Thailand, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the northern parts of Mexico, but the pyramids of the Maya civilization have always intrigued me.
Copán is located on the western corner of Honduras, close to the Guatemala border and is one of the most significant cities of the Maya civilization. Archeological records indicate that settlements in this area dated back to 2000BC and by 200AD it was a thriving tribal settlement. In 426AD, a warrior-prince named, K’inich Yax K’uh Moh, from Mexico took control of the city of Copán and declared himself the king. (The Maya Ruins of Copán) Over the next 400 years, there would be 16 dynasty’s overseeing the city’s growth and expansion. Each new temple was built following Maya tradition, larger and taller than the previous temples. Pyramids were constructed to provide support for the …show more content…
Copán’s sister city, Quiriguá grew tired of paying taxes to them and waged war. The war brought an end to the king’s dynasty around 822AD. Land misuse played a large role in the decline of the city. The area that was best suited for agriculture sat below the ceremonial center and where most of the higher social classes homes were built. They also poisoned their own water supply in the area by performing human and animal sacrifices. Finally disease rears its ugly head. Many of the Copán people died of malnutrition and disease, probably due to their poor agricultural methods. There also shows evidence of people dying younger and