Copán: Art, Architecture, and Archaeology of an Ancient Maya City

Catalog description

As the Copán River winds through a valley of the same name in modern-day Honduras, it meanders past the ruins of Copán, an ancient Maya city established roughly 1600 years ago. This course takes students on a chronological journey through the dynastic history of Copán, as seen through the lens of the stone monuments, precious materials, hieroglyphic inscriptions, and architectural commissions (tombs, temples, and ballcourts) of each of its rulers. As they do, they will come to understand broader aspects of ancient Maya culture, strategies of power, concepts of history and identity, and the role that art and architecture play in communicating these messages in the ancient and modern worlds. A