city state · Mesoamerica and the Caribbean

Copán

426 CE – 830 CE (approx.) · capital Copán

The southernmost great Classic Maya kingdom, in western Honduras, famed for its sculpted stelae and the longest known Maya hieroglyphic text.

Origins

The Copán valley had been farmed for centuries when, in 426 CE, K'inich Yax K'uk' Mo', a lord with ties to Teotihuacan and Tikal, founded a dynasty that would rule for some four centuries. Successive temples were built over his tomb in the Acropolis.

Rule and society

Sixteen kings ruled Copán. Waxaklajuun Ub'aah K'awiil (18 Rabbit) commissioned the deeply carved stelae of the Great Plaza before his capture by Quiriguá in 738. The Hieroglyphic Stairway records dynastic history in some 2,200 glyphs, and Altar Q depicts all sixteen rulers. Nobles lived in sculpted compounds, and the city was a centre of scribal and astronomical learning.

Decline and legacy

Under Yax Pasaj Chan Yopaat the valley was overpopulated and deforested, and royal rule ended around 820-830. Population dwindled over following centuries. Copán became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980.

Connections (1)

  • Quiriguá was a vassal of Copán426 CE – 738 CE

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Copán. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/copan
MLA
“Copán.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/copan. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Copán.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/copan.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Copán’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/copan (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻