This temple was commissioned by Yax Pasaj Chan Yoaat near the end of the 8 th century A.D. It is believed that this massive temple may have been a stone representation of the Maya universe, with a symbolic ball court representing the transition or entrance to the underworld or Xibalbá. According to some specialists this “entrance” was not only symbolic but on some cases it was truly the entrance to Xibalbá as the defeated team from the nearby Ball Court may have been sacrificed and their heads rolled down these steps!!

MARGARITA: In the 3rd tier of construction of Structure 16 lies the Margarita tomb, and exquisitely and lavishly donned burial also known as the Lady of Copan. This burial found in 1993 exposed the skeleton of a very important personage of Copan, the bones of a woman that has been identified as the wife of Yax K'uk' Mo' and the mother of K'inich Popol Hol. The burial showed signs of reentry and reburial; on that long ago occasion homage was paid to the lady as the evidence shows that red cinnabar powder was applied to her bones after she was initially buried, indicating that when the next building was to be constructed over the former one, she was still regarded as worthy of worship. On 1998 a tragedy was perpetrated to these revered ancient remains, the place where the bones of the Margarita tomb rested where opened once more but the purpose was neither study nor reverence but theft…

Looting is a very common practice in all of the Mayan ancient cities. The works of art created by these long gone and accomplished people is actively sought after by collectors and art dealers, who often pay outrageous sums of money for priceless artifacts. The information that is lost due to looting is neigh replaceable and the original conditions of the place of rest for these pieces are impossible to replicate, each looting that takes place robs the modern Maya, and humanity in general, an important piece of their heritage and further cripples scientists attempts at filling in the gaps to the archaeological record. Efforts are being made to stop looting, but the government apparatus has proved its many shortcomings when dealing with determined antiquarians and collectors with a larger budget…

Commissioned by Waxaklajuun Ub'aah K'awiil and thought to be the most memorable work during his reign. Temple 22 has long been admired as one of the finest of all Maya architectural expressions. We know now that by raising Temple 22, 18-Rabbit was re-creating a type of structure that had been built many times before by his ancestors, expressing their own special vision of Creation.

This temple's last and most ambitious manifestation was constructed with mud mortar, a kind of construction that required constant and careful maintenance to ensure that its plaster seal did not leak and weaken the walls. Once it was no longer maintained, it deteriorated and collapsed. Today we have only fragments of the beautiful sculptures that once decorated it, the remaining pieces found lying in the grass by the temple's feet, these give us an incomplete picture but enough to help us contemplate the building's lost beauty and significance.

Temple 26

 

½ Home ½ Info ½ Arts ½ Sciences ½ Travel ½ Copan Map ½ Contact Us ½