051 - The Stelae of Copán

Wonders of the World

We return to the land of the Maya, to visit their most stunning artistic achievement. The stelae of Copán, many constructed to honor Waxaklajuun Ubaad Kawiil, 13th king of the city, are remarkably intricate, humanist yet fantastic. His reign marked the highest point and also the lowest, as within decades of his untimely death, Copán and the other Classic Mayan cities would be abandoned. Or were they?

Listener Richard Dennis describes his impressions of visiting Copán and traditional Honduran cuisine: beans and tortillas, culminating in the baleada. And we can't talk about Honduras without discussing the Football War.

Sources:

Bunce, Steve. “How a World Cup qualifier and the suicide of a young girl launched the bloody 100 Hour Football War” in the Independent.

Earley, Caitlin C. “The Mesoamerican Ballgame” at Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Timeline of Art History.

Footprint Handbook: Honduras

Martin, Simon and Nikolai Grube. Chronicle of the Maya Kings and Queens: Deciphering the Dynasties of the Ancient Maya

Moon Handbook to Honduras and the Bay Islands

Schele, Linda and Peter Mathews. The Code of Kings : the Language of Seven Sacred Maya Temples and Tombs

Webster, David L. The Fall of the Ancient Maya: Solving the Mystery of the Maya Collapse

Photo by Dennis Jarvis on wikicommons