Copan is an archaeological site of the Maya civilization in the Copan Department of western Honduras, not far from the border with Guatemala. It was the capital city of a major Classic period kingdom. The city was in the extreme southeast of the Mesoamerican cultural region, on the frontier with the Isthmo Colombian cultural region, and was almost surrounded by non-Maya peoples. Copan was occupied for more than two thousand years, from the Early Preclassic period to the Postclassic. The city developed a distinctive sculptural style within the tradition of the lowland Maya, perhaps to emphasize the Maya ethnicity of the city`s rulers. The city has a historical record that spans the greater part of the Classic period and has been reconstructed in detail by archaeologists and epigraphers. Copan was a powerful city ruling a vast kingdom within the southern Maya area. The city suffered a major political disaster in AD 738 when Uaxaclajuun Ub`aah K`awiil, one of the greatest kings in Copán`s dynastic history, was captured and executed by his former vassal, the king of Quirigua. This unexpected defeat resulted in a 17-year hiatus at the city, during which time Copan may have been subject to Quirigua in a reversal of fortunes. A significant portion of the eastern side of the acropolis was eroded away by the Copan River; the river has since been diverted to protect the site from further damage. The Maya completely abandoned the site by about the year 1,200 AD.

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