Mayan Ruins - Copan, Honduras

Our oldest child really wanted to see some Mayan ruins while we were in Guatemala. Our youngest wanted to go north to the ruins at Tikal because they shot some scenes from the original Star Wars movie there. But the ruins at Copan were actually closer, so we went to Honduras for a weekend. We paid a price to get there--a five-hour ride in a jam-packed shuttle that turned into an eight-hour ride because of traffic. But it was worth it.

Center of town.

Walking to our Hotel Escalinata. More vertical than it looks!

Breakfast, made by the lovely hotel owner and her daughter: fried plantains, scrambled eggs, avocado, crema, queso fresco, refried black beans.

View from the breakfast table.

Walking back down to the central square.

Approaching the ruins.

Looking down on the field where two teams would play a ball game for days without stopping, and the captain of either the winning or losing team may or may not have sacrificed himself. Our memories are a little fuzzy about what the guide told us.

Where the important people sat to watch the game? Maybe?

Powerful civilization: zero. Trees: one.

Mayan road: zero. Root: one.

Should have moved the camera a little to the right. And tilted the money a little to the right. See it?

Outside park, improvised baby swing. 

Dinner at ViaVia Cafe. Because we were squashed in a shuttle with the owner for 8 hours, and he was very nice!

Crossing back into Guatemala.

We got the shuttle to ourselves this time!

Rural version of a taxi. Fit as many people as you can into the back of your pick-up.

Random glimpses of Guatemala from the shuttle . . .

Goats and cows.

Home sweet home!