Dating back to year 250 and discovered in 1570, the Copan Ruins are some of the best-preserved Mayan ruins in Central America. At its pinnacle, the region was regarded as the New World's Paris or Athens. In 1980, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) declared the ruins a World Heritage Site.
The Ruins feature five areas of interest: the social center known as the Ball Court, the Great Plaza, the Hieroglyphic Staircase (which has the longest Mayan text known to historians), the Acropolis with its two temples and the Tunnels located under the Acropolis.
The grounds also feature a museum and several other archaeological sites. A town of approximately 3,000 people has formed around the ruins, with hotels, shops, restaurants and ground transportation to other popular destinations within Honduras.
Copan Ruins
Copan, Honduras, Central America
copanruins.com
Comayagua was the original Honduran capital city from 1542 until about the 1880s, when the capital moved to Tegucigalpa. Comayagua is nestled between Rio Chiquito and Rio Humuya, about halfway between Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula. It's common for tourists to confuse Comayaguela (a neighborhood of Tegucigalpa) and Comayagua, the original capital city.
Comayagua features a number of Spanish colonial-era monuments including the ornate Cathedral de Santa Maria, a central park and museums with varying collections of colonial religious art.
The town has a population of 60,000. Visitors can choose from a variety of hotels, restaurants and shops.
Comayagua Spanish Colonial Monuments
Avenida 4 at Highway 5
Comayagua, Honduras
Central America
moon.com/destinations/honduras/central-honduras/comayagua
The Museo Historico de la Republica, or National History Museum, is located in the former Presidential Palace (1920 to 1992). It features artifacts and other collectibles from the time Honduras was won independence from Spain to present day.
Paseo Marco Aurelio Soto at Calle Salvador Mendieta
Downtown Tegucigalpa, Honduras
504-237-0268
