carved mayan animal head copan honduras

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Carved Mayan animal head, Copan, Honduras

Carved stone animal head in Copan, a Mayan archaeological site in Honduras and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Located at the south end of the Mesoamerican region, Copan was the capital of a large area from 400 AD to 800 AD. The site is famous for its ornate carvings, including stela, which are uncommon in the Mayan world. In the 9th century overpopulation and subsequent disease led to the rapid decline of Copan and its collapse as a major political power, though historians believe its reduced population continued to exist until around 900 AD. By the time the Spanish conquistadors reached the site in 1576 it had long laid in ruin, and excavation did not occur until the 1890s.