Copan

Copan is a Maya archaeological site in western Honduras, the capital of a major Classic period kingdom that flourished chiefly between the fifth and ninth centuries AD under a dynasty of at least sixteen recorded rulers. Its ceremonial core, the Principal Group, includes a great plaza, an acropolis of temple pyramids, and the Hieroglyphic Stairway, whose sixty-three steps carry the longest known Maya hieroglyphic inscription, recording the city's dynastic history. Copan is especially noted among Maya sites for the quality and abundance of its sculpture, including elaborately carved stelae portraying its rulers, carved from the local volcanic tuff stone that allowed for unusually fine detail. UNESCO inscribed the site as a World Heritage Site in 1980.