Mayan Ruins at Copan Honduras

The Mayan ruins here are some of the most impressive in the region. This site was named a UNESCO world heritage site and is still being actively excavated. It is estimated that at one time there were more than 25k Mayans living at this site. We hired a guide to lead us through the park after first thinking we could pick it up on our own, but quickly learned that a guide was essential. At the conclusion of our hike around the city I felt as though I had just completed a college course on Mayan history. I also learned a bit about what makes the central American countries each so different and unique. Part of the answer is related to the make up of the populations of the countries, more specifically the mix of indigenous people and those of Spanish heritage. Guatemala has one of the larger percentages of indigenous people and this is quite obvious as you travel around the country. As you move further south into Honduras and Costa Rica the percentage of indigenous people, as part of the population seems to decrease. One can imagine how these differences in population mix have shaped the cultures of these very geographically close, yet quite different countries.

Here is a link to more information about Copan...this is definitely a must see place!!

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copán