The past that should not be forgotten.

Today was a great learning experience. We explored the Mayan Ruins at approximately 9:00am. At the entrance of our tour we were greeted by the Scarlet Macaw which is highly prided by Copan. As we walked farther I began to see the Mayan community come alive through the many facts and theories our tour guide revealed to us. Our path lead us into an amphitheatre known as the Plaza of the Statues and there we meet the most popular king of the Mayans, 18 Rabbit. We learned of animal and people sacrifices. When Mauricio( tour guide) explained the ball game I hung on to every word. The ball game was played with an even number of players on the field. The players could only use their shoulders, elbows, hips(used most) and knees to control the ball and the ball could not touch the ground. The object of the game was to hit 1 of 6 stone Macaw heads. At the end of the game the captain of the winning team was beheaded however, it was with great pride that they died because they would become a semi-god. It is no suprise that they believed they would become a semi-god because the were polythestics (had many gods). For example they had a wind god, a water god, and sky god. Not only were they polythestics but they were also poligamists (many lovers) and polylinguistics ( many dialects). The Mayan culture is a great example of the world today. They created drain systems that still work today and even had a temple to similar to NASA where they studied astrology and astronomy. The Mayan ruins are definitely a must see when exploring Copan. During the tour I was captivated because Mauricio was so passionate about the Mayan Ruins. I could see the passion in his eyes. History is Mauricio's heart beat. His pride of his culture reminded me of a quote by John Muir, it states " We love only what we know and we will perserve only what we love". Mauricio and the people of Copan love their culture because they know their history, want others to know it because they love it therfore, they perserve it. In Copan tradition is alive and well. The peope lead their lives like many people do. They survive to live by making the best of what they have. Copan itself is a very close knit community. Copan may be located in the second poorest country in the Carribbean but its people have a heart bigger than the sun. The Mayan ruins are the past but that doesn't mean that they should be forgotten.