Copán is located in a well-maintained park set in the fertile Copán River valley, which was a site of agriculture long before the first known stone structures were built in the region about the 9th century BC. A kingdom seems to have been established in Copán in 159, known in ancient times as Xukpi (Corner-Bundle), an apparent reference to the fact that it was situated at the far southern and eastern end of Maya territory. The dynasty that flourished under sixteen rulers in the Classic period was established in 426. It grew into one of the most important Maya sites, becoming a regional power, and large monuments dated with hieroglyphic texts were erected in the city from 435 to 822. The development of the site was aided by a long period of stability, particularly during the long reign of Smoke Jaguar (628-695), whose 67 years on the throne was remarkable in a society where the average life expectancy was 35 years and whose stela is in the grassy courtyard of the West Court. It suffered a catastrophic defeat at the hands of its former vassal state Quirigua in 738 but, after a period of decline, Copán's rulers began to build monumental structures again within a few decades. In the ninth century Copan, like other cities in the region, withered in the as a result of unsustainable population growth bringing about the depletion of natural resources. The area continued to be occupied by squatters after the last major ceremonial structures and royal monuments were erected and the population declined from perhaps over 20,000 in the city to less than 5,000. The ceremonial center was abandoned and the surrounding valley contained only a few farming hamlets when the Spanish arrived in the 16th century.
List of known Xukpi rulers
| Standard name | Alternative name | Dates of reign |
| K'inich Yax K'uk' Mo' | Great-Sun First Quetzal Macaw | 426-c437 |
| K'inich Popol Hol | Great-Sun ? | c437-c445 |
| Ruler 3 | Mat Head | c445-c470 |
| Ku Ix | possibly K'altuun Hix or Tuun K'ab' Hix | c470-c480 |
| Ruler 5 | name unknown | c480-c490 |
| Ruler 6 | Muyal Jol ? | c490-c504 |
| B'alam Nehn | Jaguar Mirror, Waterlily-Jaguar | after 504-after 524 |
| Ruler 8 | Wi'-Ohl-?, Head on Earth | c532-551 |
| Ruler 9 | Sak-lu ? | 551-553 |
| Moon Jaguar" | tzi-b'alam, ? Jaguar | 553-578 |
| Butz' Chan | Smoke Serpent, Fire-eating Serpent | 578-628 |
| Chan Imix K'awiil | Smoke Jaguar | 628-695 |
| Uaxaclajuun Ub'aah K'awiil | 18 Rabbit | 695-738 |
| K'ak' Joplaj Chan K'awiil | Smoke Monkey | 738-749 |
| K'ak' Yipyaj Chan K'awiil | Smoke Shell, Smoke Squirrel | 749-c763 |
| Yax Pasaj Chan Yopaat | Yax Pac | 763-after 810 |
| Ukit Took' | after period where throne vacant | 822 |
Perhaps the most important monument in the West Court is Altar Q, dedicated by Yax Pasaj in 776AD. Arranged in sequence round the edges of this square altar are the first sixteen rulers of Copán, starting with Yax Kuk Mo (426-437) and ending with Yax Pasaj who had come to the throne in 763. He is facing the first ruler and the sceptre of power is handed directly to him by Yax Kuk Mo. The altar is therefore a piece of propaganda designed to underline his divine authority through the long line of his ancestors. The top of the altar bears a text that sets out the stages in the foundation of the Copán dynasty in 426 and 427. All this history has only been revealed as epigraphers have deciphered the Maya hieroglyphs over the past thirty years.
Passing through the east court, also lined by religious and administrative buildings leads to a terrace high above the river, whose meandering course had threatened to undermine the site but has now been diverted away from the ruins. Passing around a large temple, still waiting to emerge from its covering of trees, we came out high above the Great Plaza. To the right is the hieroglyphic stairway rising up the front of a temple. The 2,000 or so glyphs form the longest inscribed classic Maya text, which has been reassembled in random order after the upper steps had collapsed. The whole stairway is now covered by a large tarpaulin to protect it from further erosion.
Passing through the east court, also lined by religious and administrative buildings leads to a terrace high above the river, whose meandering course had
threatened to undermine the site but has now been diverted away from the ruins. Passing around a large temple, still waiting to emerge from its covering of
trees, we came out high above the Great Plaza. To the right is the hieroglyphic stairway rising up the front of a temple. The 2,000 or so glyphs form the
longest inscribed classic Maya text, which has been reassembled in random order after the upper steps had collapsed. The whole stairway is now covered by a
large tarpaulin to protect it from further erosion.
To one side of the staircase is the ball court where ritual ball games were played, the main object being to propel a heavy rubber ball to hit one of the markers shaped like macaw heads. It was an important match for the players as the losing team was often sacrificed.
The massive main plaza is lined with a series of stelae erected by Waxaklajuun Ub'aah K'awil (18-Rabbit ruled 695-738). He had greatly changed the style of art practised in Copán, replacing the two-dimensional carvings with sculpture in the round showing him in elaborate ceremonial garb, holding a sceptre shaped like a double-headed serpent, all the decorations full of religious significance. His ultimate fate is revealed in Quirigua.
The site of Las Sepulturas two kilometres away contains the homes of the nobles. Each family had a series of houses grouped round a central courtyard, the house of the head of the family being the largest, sometimes decorated with sculptures. The house of the scribe, for example, shows the owner holding a conch shell which is used as a container for ink. Each house has a room with a raised platform used for sitting and sleeping, the plaster coverings frequently still intact. Under the houses were often tombs where the deceased members of the family were buried.
The excellent museum is dominated by the full-sized reconstruction of the Rosalila temple. This was hidden intact within a later rebuilding of the temple and the original colours of the stucco surfaces which covered the stonework were preserved. This gives an impression of how striking the whole site must have been when the buildings were painted in red with decorative details picked out in white, yellow, blue and green. Traces of colouring can still be seen on some of the stelae. Some of the original monuments have also been moved under the cover of the museum and replaced by replicas in the original position. The captions were a model of clarity and the reconstructions of fragments of the decoration arranged in a way that made it easy to admire the skill of the craftsmen.
