The following are pictures from a May 2007 trip to Central America. This blog has scenes from the Honduras portion of my trip.
When you get to the bottom of the page, hit "Older Posts" to see more sets of photos.
This is the view from the plane going to La Ceiba. Honduras has many large scale industrial farms as can be seen in this photo. Lots of land appeared to be used for palm oil plantations, pineapples, and bananas/plantains. Very different from the patchwork of small family owned farms that we saw in Nicaragua.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Utila Island of Honduras in the Caribbean Sea surrounded by the second largest barrier reef in the world. Once the home of British pirates and later of slaves brought here by the British, the official language is surprisingly English, although spoken with a decidedly musical Caribbean lilt. Many of the folks working in the restaurants and stores of mainlanders from Honduras who are somewhat resented by the native born population. Utila reminds me a Key West before Florida got so touristy.
View from the bus from La Ceiba to Copan. I think every dead school bus from the U.S. finds itself to Central America. On one trip our bus brakes overheated and the driver stopped, got out and poured a bucket of water on the brakes then got back in and drove for the remainder of the trip. At this bus station Marietta and I had the most wonderful homemade tortillas, avocados and fried chicken for breakfast. Of course my coffee was made with a filter that looked like an old sock, but it tasted great!
Copan Mayan Ruins in Honduras. Built over several decades starting in 400 A.D. through 800 A.D. Stones were quarried locally and then hand carried to the site. Mayans were superstious about the use of objects in the shape of the sun and moon, and did not use wheels which reminded them of these celestial bodies.
Copan contains examples of structures relating to political, civic and religious life/ceremonies. This is a small pyramidal platform in the Great Plaza which was used for civic events for thousands of people. Copan was the center of a population during Mayan times of about 30,000 people. The site is an UNESCO World Heritage Site, and contains the longest hieroglyphic (inscribed) text in the New World.
Copan contains examples of structures relating to political, civic and religious life/ceremonies. This is a small pyramidal platform in the Great Plaza which was used for civic events for thousands of people. Copan was the center of a population during Mayan times of about 30,000 people. The site is an UNESCO World Heritage Site, and contains the longest hieroglyphic (inscribed) text in the New World.
Scarlet Macaw, national bird of Honduras, and a resident of the Copan Ruins. Carvings of macaw feathers are seen as a decorative feature on many of the sculptures/carvings at Copan. The stonework was covered with plaster and then colored red by using volcanic pigments from Guatemala. The plaster has long since been washed away by the rains.
Example of the high relief, nearly full-round style of sculpture that is what makes Copan famous. The person depicted here is the Thirteen Ruler call the "King of the Arts" who oversaw the development of the Great Plaza of Copan and the final version of the ball court - an early 700 A.D. park planner!
Me at Copan Ruins in Honduras. You can easily see from this picture how the vegetation could quickly overtake this site. Archaeologists and conservationists are actively working at this site to protect the Mayan ruins from further damage from the rains and moisture, and vegetation. Mayans calculated that the end of the world would come in 2012, so I hope they are wrong and that folks will have the opportunity to visit Copan for years and years to come.
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