Copán

Copán is an archaeological site of the Maya civilization in the Copán Department of western Honduras, near the border with Guatemala. Occupied for more than two thousand years, it was the capital of a major Classic period kingdom from the 5th to the 9th century CE, refounded in 426 by a dynasty with its origins at Tikal; at its Late Classic peak the kingdom had at least 20,000 people. In 738 its king Uaxaclajuun Ub'aah K'awiil was captured and beheaded by his former vassal, the king of Quiriguá. The population later declined and the city was abandoned in the early 10th century. Known for its sculpture and Hieroglyphic Stairway, it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980.