Search Results: Copan

Maya vessel depicting several mythological scenes. This part of the vessel depicts a god with a spotted tail and ears. The dog is a companion of death, and like his own has a dark nature. Found in Guatemala, attributed to the "Metropolitan...

Temple of the Ways, Maya city of Chacchoben, c. 700 CE. The altar, in the center of the temple, purposefully resembles a mouth and received sacrificial offerings. This temple continued to be used as a place of worship for centuries after...

Detail of the sacrificial altar at the Temple of the Ways, Maya city of Chacchoben, c. 700 CE.

The English word 'wall' is derived from the Latin, vallus meaning 'a stake' or 'post' and designated the wood-stake and earth palisade which formed the outer edge of a fortification. The palisades were in use early on and are mentioned by...

Chocolate was one of the most desired foods of Mesoamerica and was consumed by the Olmec, Maya, and Aztec civilizations, amongst others. Its consumption even spread via trade routes to other parts of the Americas including the Chaco Canyon...

One of the goals of the ball court at the Maya-Toltec city of Chichen Itza. The objective of the ball game, popular across Mesoamerica, was to strike a rubber ball through the hoop using any part of the body except the hands.

Why did the Maya abandon their magnificent city of Chichen Itza? See All National Geographic Videos http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/?source=4001

3D fly through created from laser scan and photography at Maya city of Tikal (300-850 CE) in Guatemala by CyArk.

This map illustrates the rise and extent of the Olmec civilization, which flourished from around 1200 to 400 BCE (the earliest Olmec finds near the San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán sites, date back to c.1600) in the present-day Gulf Coast in the...

This collection is really dear to us as it is the fruit of our new collaboration and partnership with the UNESCO Archives. They have digitized a vast amount of resources that can be found on their platform and you can read all about their...