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[DAVID YETMAN] The great Maya 
archeological site of Copán,

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Honduras lies near a town 
renowned for macaws.

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We have accessibility to Copán 
not often available

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to outsiders: the uncovering 
of a hieroglyphic staircase--

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[BILL FASH] 
The inscriptions

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are giving us 
the historical background.

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[DAVID] --and a tunnel deep 
inside the pyramids,

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leading to a recently uncovered 
mural.

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{LATIN GUITAR SWELLS}

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[ANNOUNCER] 
Funding for In The Americas

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with David 
Yetman was provided by Robert

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and Carol Dorsey,

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the Gilford Fund,

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Arch and Laura Brown,

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and Hugh and Joyce Bell

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[DAVID YETMAN] Archeologists 
recognize the ancient town

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of Copán,  
in southwestern Hondruas,

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as the pinnacle 
of artistic achievement

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among the great Maya 
civilizations.

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Between the years 431 
and 756 A.D.,

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a succession of sixteen kings 
ruled the region.

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They left their legacy 
carved in stone and described

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in exquisite detail 
on the staggeringly complex

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monuments of the city.

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{ELECTRIC GUITAR}

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The town of Copán Ruinas 
in Honduras

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is located only half a kilometer 
away from the

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archeological site of Copán.

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{CITY AMBIENCE}

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The Scarlet Macaw

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was one of the sacred 
birds of the Mayas

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and is very important 
to local people as well.

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They provide nesting places 
safe from predators

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for the birds and provide 
feeding platforms as well.

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And they are now everywhere.

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It is a terrific decoration 
for the ruins, for the town,

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and for the very proud people of 
Copán Ruinas.

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{LATIN PERCUSSION SWELLS}

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Generations of families 
have worked at the site.

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Copán,

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one of the

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greatest archeological sites 
in the world, is one of the two

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top attractions internationally 
for the nation of Honduras.

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[BILL FASH] This is 
the grand processional entryway

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where 
tens of thousands of people

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would come in to participate 
in the public events

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and ceremonies, the marketplace.

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[DAVID] Our visit is possible 
due to my friend Bill Fash,

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Harvard professor and long time 
lead archeologist at Copán.

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He knows the site 
like no other human.

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{MACAW CALLS}

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[BILL] 
The games on the ball court,

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the great Circus Maximus, 
as the early explorers

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called this area 
that has seating for

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about 3000 people to come 
and see what's going on in the

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royal precinct here.

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We have actual

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contemporary records 
for almost all of the 16 rulers

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and in many cases can associate 
them with particular buildings.

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Fortunately, in Copán,

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there are hundreds 
of hieroglyphic inscriptions,

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and that's one of the reasons

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why it attracted explorers 
from very early days.

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You have everything 
like the hieroglyphic stairway

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with its complete and cyclical 
of all the rulers from 1 to 15.

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But you also have

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individual portraits such as 
we have here in the Great Plaza.

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It's a really orderly succession 
that is recorded

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on a whole series of monuments.

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So the inscriptions are giving 
us the historical background

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that we can then flesh out 
with all the archeological data

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from the households 
of all of the people

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in the ancient society.

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The inscriptions do tell 
us a great deal about relations

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between rival kingdoms,

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because in the Maya world,

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they never created 
a single royal house

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that could foster 
the creation of an empire.

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So the end of the late classic 
period was a time of troubles

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in many ways.

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There are all these records

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of warfare 
all across the Maya lowlands.

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It's everywhere 
in the eighth century A.D.

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and continues into the ninth

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because there were 
so many powerful people

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that were not able to accede 
to a political office.

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{LATIN PERCUSSION 
CONTINUES}

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{MACAW CALLS}

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In a place like Copán, 
we can document

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that the best farmland 
was taken up by residences

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and this forced people to farm

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the thinner soils 
higher up on the foothills.

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Eventually, that all got covered 
with residences as well.

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As the city 
became more successful,

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they can bring in tribute from 
other places that were farming

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and feed themselves 
on that basis

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rather than what they themselves 
produced.

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As the foothills filled in,

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and then they had to strip down 
the higher slopes

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and there is very thin soil 
there,

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it won't last 
more than a season or two.

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So imagine

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you're in a situation

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where your city can't feed 
itself anymore,

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which is what we believe 
happened

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to Copán at one point in time.

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{GRINDING CORN}

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In Copán, by contrast,

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it wasn't that the population 
stayed the same.

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It was that there was tremendous 
in-migration

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it became a victim 
of its own success.

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So many people wanted to be 
a part of it

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that it's estimated 
that someplace between 30 and 40

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percent 
of the population of Copán

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were people 
that came from elsewhere.

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{UPBEAT LATIN BEATS}

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[DAVID] For decades

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I've seen this photograph, 
this Stela, and here it is.

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[BILL] Oh, it's breathtaking.

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That's one of the best preserved 
of really natural likeness

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of Ruler 13 carved in 731.

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It shows him inside the mouth 
of a cave.

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In a mountain.

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The mountain is named 
by the two giant macaws

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with their long beaks on either 
side.

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Then, come around 
to the back side of it.

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They're very explicit 
about naming the monument,

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naming the place where he did 
a ceremony to celebrate

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this important anniversary 
of the creation

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of when the World Came to Be.

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And that's in this glyph 
here on the left side.

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You can see the macaw beak 
and you can see

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the wrinkled skin 
and you can see the eye.

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To the right of it 
is the glyph that reads “witz”

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which means Mountain.

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[DAVE] 
This is Macaw Mountain.

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[BILL] Absolutely.

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{UPBEAT MUSIC}

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This is such an important 
monument,

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really important legacy,

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because it tells the story 
of the entire kingdom.

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It's a king's list 
of all 16 rulers in Copán.

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Ruler nine here, one of the two 
Jaguar named rulers

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seated on a Jaguar 
glyph number eight, ruler six.

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And we're going to five.

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Number four, 
we do have monuments

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for underneath 
a hieroglyphic stairway.

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And then this is the second 
ruler,

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the successor to the founder.

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He was a very important figure

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and he's got a feathered cape 
like a bird himself.

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And then he sits on a ruler 
glyph that shows that

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he personified kingship 
for the people of Copán.

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These were real people.

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We have found buildings 
that they built

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with inscriptions 
that they had carved

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and their own mortal remains 
in some cases,

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including the case 
of the founder.

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It's the only Mesoamerican city 
where someone has found

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the actual remains 
of the founder of a city.

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That was meant to be read 
by someone standing up there

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to tell the story of the master 
narrative of the founder

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going to Teotihuacán, 
performing a new fire ceremony

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being transformed, getting new 
titles, “Sun Faced Lord,”

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“Blue Green Quetzal Macaw,” 
“Resplendent Quetzal Macaw.”

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Three days later, he leaves that 
temple and begins his walk.

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And it takes him here 
and there all over Mesoamerica

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for a total of 152 days 
before he

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and the scepter that he brought 
is the symbol

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of the lightning 
god of Teotihuacán

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get to the three mountain 
place and rest their feet.

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This is 
one of my favorite spots.

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[DAVID] Oh, with good reason.

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[BILL] You see the whole process 
right here in one spot.

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So over here you can see 
it's not been excavated, but

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because they didn't 
have very much lime for plaster

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buildings 
toppled in an earthquake

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zone like this within a century 
or two, sending pieces

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like this tumbling down 
from the top of the temple.

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So Temple 18 
here is really important

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because it tells us about 
the last years of the kingdom.

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The temple itself was toppled 
and burned, his tomb was looted.

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All that were in

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there were little scraps of bone 
and broken vessels,

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some of them of marble pieces 
and broken pieces of jade.

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Some of the lead residences 
in the valley are burned also.

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So it does have the look of 
very serious social unrest.

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This is 
a pretty grim scene, actually.

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He's in a dance pose like this 
with one foot raised

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and he's

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holding a scepter of that 
lightning

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god that's so important to 
everybody.

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Got a shield here.

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But what's grim is

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he has these shrunken upside 
down trophy heads.

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In Mesoamerican art, 
when a head is shown upside

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down, the individual, whether 
it's God or human, is dead.

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{PERCUSSION MUSIC CONCLUDES}

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[DAVID] The great Saba Tree is

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emblematic for most Maya peoples 
and with good reason.

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They provide buttresses 
that hold them up in high wind.

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But more than anything, 
they're a symbol of strength

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and resurgence 
that come each year.

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They drop their leaves

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and they're renewed 
when the rain comes.

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{LATIN BEATS CONTINUE}

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[BILL] Four social classes 
and four types of residents.

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Absolutely. 
This was established early on.

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The mounds themselves

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give us a who's 
who of ancient Maya society.

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If it's a little simple dwelling 
like that one, then

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you know that you're 
dealing with the commoner.

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And by the way,

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we should also mention 
that this is just the foundation

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of the house.

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The house itself 
was built of wattle and daub.

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It was a perishable materials, 
and then it had a thatched roof.

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So that's the most common kind 
of house in the Copán Valley.

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And in this part 
of the household,

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we have what 
every household needs.

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We have a kitchen.

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{LATIN GUITAR SWELLS}

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[DAVID] Well, 
this is even nicer

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than the 
the wealthier peasants.

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[BILL] This is what we might 
think of as upper middle class.

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So it's a type three site.

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And this individual 
did have a specialization.

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There were eight

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beautiful sculpture masks 
on the outside of the building

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that were all portraits 
of the God of sculptors.

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This fellow was a stone 
sculptor.

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This is really very impressive 
dress masonry architecture

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with vaulted roofs 
and sculpture in the site

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that was 
only occupied for 100 years.

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So now we're going to the

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creme de la creme of ancient 
Maya society.

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This is led by an individual

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who was a member 
of the Royal Court,

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and he is one of the last 
to reside in the longest

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occupied 
single site in the Copán Valley.

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We're walking up to an ancient 
terrace

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that covers over 
a thousand years of occupations,

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and we're going toward 
the residence of this fellow

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who was a member 
of the last Kings Court.

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He was chosen by the 16th ruler

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to keep the books 
of the kingdom.

247
00:12:26,200 --> 00:12:26,733
And that's

248
00:12:27,366 --> 00:12:30,566
what the inscription inside 
of his own household says.

249
00:12:30,700 --> 00:12:35,200
And he's also accompanied 
on either side of the doorway

250
00:12:35,200 --> 00:12:42,066
by images of the God of Writing.

251
00:12:42,166 --> 00:12:42,733
Here we're

252
00:12:43,333 --> 00:12:46,100
at another part of this type 
four site, the upper-most

253
00:12:46,200 --> 00:12:49,200
elite compound 
that was dug in Las Sepulturas.

254
00:12:49,466 --> 00:12:50,933
[DAVID] The high rollers lived 
here.

255
00:12:50,933 --> 00:12:51,633
[BILL] {LAUGHS} That's right.

256
00:12:52,033 --> 00:12:54,833
The scribe was leading the pack, 
but he also had people

257
00:12:54,833 --> 00:12:57,833
that he brought in 
from other parts of Mesoamerica.

258
00:12:57,833 --> 00:13:01,833
So this is the residence of some 
people from Lake Yojoa region.

259
00:13:01,966 --> 00:13:02,433
We know that

260
00:13:02,633 --> 00:13:04,066
because in their own burials

261
00:13:04,066 --> 00:13:06,200
inside of the biggest structure 
there,

262
00:13:06,200 --> 00:13:08,466
which itself is unique 
and layout,

263
00:13:08,466 --> 00:13:10,700
there are burials, 
the likes of which are not found

264
00:13:10,700 --> 00:13:12,300
anywhere else in Copán,

265
00:13:12,300 --> 00:13:14,633
they're stacked 
one on top of the other

266
00:13:14,633 --> 00:13:17,600
and they all have pottery 
from their homeland.

267
00:13:17,866 --> 00:13:21,300
Copán was a magnet for ethnic 
groups from all over

268
00:13:21,300 --> 00:13:22,766
southeastern Mesoamerica

269
00:13:22,766 --> 00:13:23,833
in the Maya area

270
00:13:24,000 --> 00:13:27,233
and even farther afield over 
into the Highlands and in Oaxaca

271
00:13:27,300 --> 00:13:27,966
and so forth.

272
00:13:27,966 --> 00:13:29,500
So a lot of people here

273
00:13:29,500 --> 00:13:32,766
came for economic opportunities, 
like in most cities.

274
00:13:35,300 --> 00:13:36,466
[DAVID] This 
hole in the ground

275
00:13:36,466 --> 00:13:38,700
is pretty clearly important.

276
00:13:38,700 --> 00:13:42,766
[BILL] It█s really a vaulted 
masonry tomb of the individuals

277
00:13:42,766 --> 00:13:45,100
laid to rest there, 
who we believe

278
00:13:45,100 --> 00:13:48,433
lived in a vaulted 
masonry building just above.

279
00:13:48,666 --> 00:13:50,733
[DAVID] So 
it's actually shaped like this.

280
00:13:50,733 --> 00:13:51,600
[BILL] That's correct.

281
00:13:51,600 --> 00:13:53,166
[DAVID] 
If you're inside looking out.

282
00:13:53,166 --> 00:13:53,766
[BILL] Yes--

283
00:13:54,200 --> 00:13:55,366
[DAVID] That takes 
some engineering to build.

284
00:13:55,366 --> 00:13:56,000
[BILL] Oh, yes.

285
00:13:56,000 --> 00:13:58,733
[LATIN PERCUSSION]

286
00:13:58,733 --> 00:14:00,366
This is the storage area

287
00:14:00,366 --> 00:14:01,800
on a need-to-see basis

288
00:14:01,800 --> 00:14:04,166
of the researchers 
who have found these materials

289
00:14:04,166 --> 00:14:05,033
over the years.

290
00:14:05,033 --> 00:14:06,500
So among all of these

291
00:14:06,500 --> 00:14:10,366
pieces are many 
that actually were associated

292
00:14:10,366 --> 00:14:13,166
with the longest lived 
king in the city's history.

293
00:14:13,166 --> 00:14:16,266
This was our friend, Ruler 
12, Smoke Jaguar,

294
00:14:16,533 --> 00:14:19,933
who was buried underneath 
the first hieroglyphic stairway.

295
00:14:20,066 --> 00:14:24,400
And he decided to create 
a set of images

296
00:14:24,400 --> 00:14:28,366
of all of his royal ancestors 
and that's what we see here.

297
00:14:28,366 --> 00:14:32,866
These were on lids 
on top of incense burners,

298
00:14:32,966 --> 00:14:36,100
and these are effigies 
of his ancestors,

299
00:14:36,100 --> 00:14:38,466
including the famous K█inich Yax 
K█uk█ Mo█,

300
00:14:38,466 --> 00:14:41,700
who you see with the same 
lightning god goggles

301
00:14:41,700 --> 00:14:43,100
that he had on Altar Q.

302
00:14:43,100 --> 00:14:45,133
He's the only king 
who ever wears goggles

303
00:14:45,133 --> 00:14:47,700
and the most diagnostic 
of the rest of them

304
00:14:47,700 --> 00:14:49,766
is this fellow here.

305
00:14:49,900 --> 00:14:51,266
[DAVID] He's only got two teeth.

306
00:14:51,266 --> 00:14:54,233
[BILL] {LAUGHS} Yeah, 
they're showing his age because

307
00:14:54,466 --> 00:14:58,200
Ruler 12 was 93 years old 
when he passed on.

308
00:14:58,333 --> 00:15:00,600
{LATIN GUITAR BEGINS}

309
00:15:00,600 --> 00:15:02,333
[KARINA GARCIA]  
{IN SPANISH}

310
00:15:02,333 --> 00:15:04,066
Bueno, estoy 
trabajando en el registro de

311
00:15:04,066 --> 00:15:05,266
las esculturas--

312
00:15:05,266 --> 00:15:05,833
[TRANSLATION] 
Right now, I'm

313
00:15:06,300 --> 00:15:07,900
working on the Copán 
Valley Sculpture Registry

314
00:15:07,900 --> 00:15:10,133
{SPEAKING SPANISH}

315
00:15:10,133 --> 00:15:10,833
And right here,

316
00:15:11,366 --> 00:15:13,633
we can see a photo of each one 
with its registration number.

317
00:15:13,633 --> 00:15:16,200
{SPEAKING SPANISH}

318
00:15:16,200 --> 00:15:17,566
During the first expeditions

319
00:15:17,566 --> 00:15:18,966
in the 1930s,

320
00:15:18,966 --> 00:15:20,533
the nomenclature began 
with letters,

321
00:15:20,533 --> 00:15:22,200
but now we do it digitally.

322
00:15:22,200 --> 00:15:27,633
{SPEAKING SPANISH} ...de manera 
digital.

323
00:15:27,633 --> 00:15:31,700
Esta es una bodega--

324
00:15:31,766 --> 00:15:33,166
[TRANSLATION] This is the  
warehouse where we store

325
00:15:33,166 --> 00:15:35,166
all the pieces found 
in the Copán Valley.

326
00:15:35,166 --> 00:15:36,800
{SPEAKING SPANISH}

327
00:15:36,800 --> 00:15:38,766
Right here 
we have a huge, complete

328
00:15:38,766 --> 00:15:40,766
“incensario” 
or incense burner.

329
00:15:40,766 --> 00:15:42,466
{SPEAKING SPANISH}

330
00:15:42,466 --> 00:15:45,166
This bat is another 
one of our most beautiful pieces

331
00:15:45,266 --> 00:15:47,200
{SPEAKING SPANISH}

332
00:15:47,200 --> 00:15:48,300
These are the ones that go out

333
00:15:48,300 --> 00:15:49,800
to exhibitions 
abroad

334
00:15:49,800 --> 00:15:51,466
{SPEAKING SPANISH}

335
00:15:51,566 --> 00:15:55,433
So far we have more than 33,000 
registered pieces,

336
00:15:55,566 --> 00:15:56,033
but they're all

337
00:15:56,633 --> 00:15:59,033
from the first expeditions 
in the 1970s and 80s.

338
00:15:59,133 --> 00:16:02,200
{SPEAKING SPANISH}

339
00:16:02,300 --> 00:16:06,166
[DAVID] The collection 
here of sculptures is unlike

340
00:16:06,266 --> 00:16:08,300
anywhere else in the Americas.

341
00:16:08,300 --> 00:16:09,166
There are more here

342
00:16:09,533 --> 00:16:12,933
and and of higher quality than 
any other archeological site.

343
00:16:13,133 --> 00:16:18,000
The number of artisans 
that had to be talented enough

344
00:16:18,133 --> 00:16:21,400
to create these over 
the centuries is

345
00:16:21,533 --> 00:16:23,266
is almost beyond belief.

346
00:16:23,266 --> 00:16:27,633
And they could do all of this 
with no steel tools.

347
00:16:27,633 --> 00:16:29,200
{LATIN GUITAR SWELLS}

348
00:16:29,200 --> 00:16:31,166
[BILL] Really 
wonderful to have a place where

349
00:16:31,166 --> 00:16:33,266
all of this 
can be stored together

350
00:16:33,266 --> 00:16:36,633
so the future generations 
will not only have access to it

351
00:16:36,733 --> 00:16:39,266
for esthetic purposes, 
but also for study.

352
00:16:39,266 --> 00:16:40,933
[DAVID] 
And the material is Flint?

353
00:16:40,933 --> 00:16:42,533
[BILL] This is Flint, 
and this is

354
00:16:42,533 --> 00:16:44,133
really very difficult to work.

355
00:16:44,133 --> 00:16:47,000
Each one of these is a true 
masterwork.

356
00:16:47,000 --> 00:16:48,133
The Maya believed that

357
00:16:48,133 --> 00:16:51,933
lightning from the sky was fire, 
that when it hit

358
00:16:51,933 --> 00:16:55,800
the earth, caused the Earth 
to turn into fire stone.

359
00:16:56,033 --> 00:16:59,633
And so these are the product 
of lightning striking the earth.

360
00:16:59,733 --> 00:17:03,733
{UPBEAT GUITAR BEGINS}

361
00:17:03,833 --> 00:17:05,100
We're coming into one of

362
00:17:05,100 --> 00:17:07,566
our longest tunnels 
that runs north south.

363
00:17:07,566 --> 00:17:09,666
We like to have crosscutting 
tunnels

364
00:17:09,666 --> 00:17:11,200
east, west, north, south.

365
00:17:11,200 --> 00:17:12,600
None of them can surpass

366
00:17:12,600 --> 00:17:15,733
the tomb of Ruler 12, which is 
where we're headed right now.

367
00:17:16,000 --> 00:17:21,966
Really impressive chamber, 
eight meters long and over

368
00:17:21,966 --> 00:17:27,200
a meter and a half wide 
with three elevated stones.

369
00:17:27,300 --> 00:17:30,133
So inside of the chamber, 
with these three

370
00:17:30,133 --> 00:17:33,500
very large slabs 
that he was laid to rest on

371
00:17:33,600 --> 00:17:36,066
with all of his finery, 
including

372
00:17:36,066 --> 00:17:39,500
a beautiful jade necklace 
and a very long walking

373
00:17:39,500 --> 00:17:43,033
stick as a 93 year 
old one can appreciate.

374
00:17:43,166 --> 00:17:46,033
And there were spondylus 
shells, just beautiful

375
00:17:46,033 --> 00:17:49,600
things and all kinds of vessels 
that had food offerings

376
00:17:49,600 --> 00:17:52,166
so that he would have plenty 
to eat in the afterlife.

377
00:17:52,166 --> 00:17:56,466
And perhaps the most intriguing 
thing were 50 paint pots

378
00:17:56,600 --> 00:17:59,866
that contained 
red cinnabar paint.

379
00:17:59,933 --> 00:18:02,866
And presumably he was very fond 
of painting things.

380
00:18:02,866 --> 00:18:08,033
{MUSIC CONCLUDES}

381
00:18:08,166 --> 00:18:12,900
And this is a panel 
that was meant to be appreciated

382
00:18:12,900 --> 00:18:15,766
and to be instantly recognizable

383
00:18:15,766 --> 00:18:19,300
as the name of the founder 
of the dynasty.

384
00:18:19,433 --> 00:18:23,000
So it's two words 
and their necks are intertwined.

385
00:18:23,100 --> 00:18:26,833
The bird on the left 
has the crest of the Quetzal,

386
00:18:26,966 --> 00:18:28,333
has a red breast

387
00:18:28,333 --> 00:18:32,233
like the male Quetzal, 
that has green tail feathers.

388
00:18:32,333 --> 00:18:35,100
There is also a sun god face

389
00:18:35,100 --> 00:18:38,633
in the beak of each of the two 
birds.

390
00:18:38,900 --> 00:18:40,400
“Kuk” is the name

391
00:18:40,400 --> 00:18:44,133
of the Quetzal bird over here 
with this beautiful crest

392
00:18:44,233 --> 00:18:48,666
and this very interesting slit 
eye and then {unintelligible}.

393
00:18:48,766 --> 00:18:51,900
The last part of the name is 
our friend, the macaw here

394
00:18:51,900 --> 00:18:56,500
with this foot beak and the Sun 
God face the red neck,

395
00:18:56,633 --> 00:19:02,566
and then coming down to the 
blue, green and yellow feathers.

396
00:19:02,666 --> 00:19:07,433
[ADELSO CANAN]  
{SPEAKING SPANISH}

397
00:19:07,433 --> 00:19:09,233
[TRANSLATION] Here, 
there are geological faults.

398
00:19:09,233 --> 00:19:11,266
So the buildings were in ruins.

399
00:19:11,266 --> 00:19:14,233
But as we excavated, 
we could see their forms

400
00:19:14,433 --> 00:19:17,733
from platforms and terraces 
to the stucco floors.

401
00:19:17,733 --> 00:19:20,433
{SPEAKING SPANISH}

402
00:19:21,233 --> 00:19:23,400
[KARINA]  
{SPEAKING SPANISH}

403
00:19:23,400 --> 00:19:25,200
[TRANSLATION] 
The collapse was quite strong.

404
00:19:25,200 --> 00:19:26,666
For those of us who work here,

405
00:19:26,666 --> 00:19:28,766
that structure 
is pretty important

406
00:19:28,766 --> 00:19:30,033
because that's 
where we extracted

407
00:19:30,033 --> 00:19:32,466
the largest part of the 
sculpture that we can register.

408
00:19:32,466 --> 00:19:35,200
{SPEAKING SPANISH}

409
00:19:35,200 --> 00:19:37,166
[ADELSO] 
{SPEAKING SPANISH}

410
00:19:37,166 --> 00:19:39,233
[TRANSLATION] The amount of 
sculptures we were able to find

411
00:19:39,233 --> 00:19:41,300
on the surface 
was really impressive.

412
00:19:41,300 --> 00:19:44,000
It showed us that 
this is a very important place.

413
00:19:44,000 --> 00:19:46,800
{SPEAKING SPANISH}

414
00:19:48,033 --> 00:19:50,266
{SPEAKING SPANISH}

415
00:19:50,266 --> 00:19:52,800
[TRANSLATION] The site has a  
strong archeological connection

416
00:19:52,800 --> 00:19:54,833
to my Chortí 
heritage and ancestry.

417
00:19:54,833 --> 00:19:58,966
{SPEAKING SPANISH}

418
00:19:58,966 --> 00:20:00,100
[KARINA] 
{SPEAKING SPANISH}

419
00:20:00,100 --> 00:20:01,533
[TRANSLATION] 
I was born in Copán.

420
00:20:01,533 --> 00:20:05,566
I'm Copaneca, 100%, a Copaneca 
who is very proud

421
00:20:05,566 --> 00:20:07,000
of her cultural heritage.

422
00:20:07,000 --> 00:20:08,033
{SPEAKING SPANISH}

423
00:20:08,033 --> 00:20:10,000
{MUSIC SWELLS}

424
00:20:10,000 --> 00:20:12,500
[BILL] So this is one of the 
largest ball courts in

425
00:20:12,500 --> 00:20:15,233
Mesoamerica, also one of the 
most beautifully decorated.

426
00:20:15,233 --> 00:20:19,033
They wanted to have everyone 
celebrate the natural cycles,

427
00:20:19,033 --> 00:20:20,033
so they had

428
00:20:20,133 --> 00:20:22,866
the symbol of the sun, 
this beautiful Scarlett Macaw

429
00:20:22,866 --> 00:20:24,533
that you see all over the ruins.

430
00:20:24,533 --> 00:20:27,800
There were eight of them 
on each of these buildings,

431
00:20:27,800 --> 00:20:30,766
and they symbolized 
the movement of the sun,

432
00:20:31,000 --> 00:20:33,933
east-west, through these two 
beautiful arches.

433
00:20:33,933 --> 00:20:36,433
And we're standing right 
in the center of the universe.

434
00:20:36,433 --> 00:20:40,233
And and they're concerned 
about the north south access too

435
00:20:40,233 --> 00:20:43,800
And so far as you know, 
the movement of the

436
00:20:43,900 --> 00:20:47,233
heavenly bodies 
and the game did have a very

437
00:20:47,233 --> 00:20:48,933
strong agricultural component.

438
00:20:48,933 --> 00:20:53,233
Some of the floor markers 
show rituals designed to have

439
00:20:53,533 --> 00:20:54,566
the maize sprout,

440
00:20:54,666 --> 00:20:58,866
and it's thought that 
it could actually sprout out of

441
00:20:58,966 --> 00:21:02,400
the ball court, which is a 
symbolic representation

442
00:21:02,500 --> 00:21:07,266
of the cleft in the mountains 
where maize was born.

443
00:21:07,366 --> 00:21:10,833
This hieroglyphic 
stairway constitutes the longest

444
00:21:10,833 --> 00:21:13,166
hieroglyphic inscription 
in the New World

445
00:21:13,166 --> 00:21:14,933
bar none, 
not just among the Maya.

446
00:21:14,933 --> 00:21:16,066
Any place.

447
00:21:16,166 --> 00:21:20,766
It's got over 1200 glyph blocks 
within which there are glyphic

448
00:21:20,933 --> 00:21:24,466
elements that come up to 2400 
or so telling

449
00:21:24,566 --> 00:21:27,533
the entire history 
of this kingdom from the founder

450
00:21:27,733 --> 00:21:31,733
all the way to the 15th king 
who's shown at the base of it.

451
00:21:31,866 --> 00:21:35,800
So we have this record 
of orderly dynastic succession,

452
00:21:35,800 --> 00:21:37,600
one king to the next 
to the next.

453
00:21:37,600 --> 00:21:40,366
All in numbered sequence 
from the founder

454
00:21:40,366 --> 00:21:43,900
who looms very large 
in the entire narrative.

455
00:21:44,033 --> 00:21:47,533
The hieroglyphic stairway 
was the reason that Copán was

456
00:21:47,533 --> 00:21:52,333
designated a World Heritage 
Site by UNESCO way back in 1980.

457
00:21:52,333 --> 00:21:53,433
It's actually one of the first

458
00:21:53,433 --> 00:21:56,033
archeological sites 
to bring that distinction.

459
00:21:56,033 --> 00:22:00,033
It's such a signally important 
monument, not just for Copán,

460
00:22:00,033 --> 00:22:05,400
but for humanity. 
It needs to be protected.

461
00:22:05,500 --> 00:22:08,433
So we do all 
of these archeological tunnels

462
00:22:08,433 --> 00:22:12,266
here at Copán and liken it 
to arthroscopic surgery.

463
00:22:12,266 --> 00:22:15,000
[DAVID] My, this is the base 
of the temple we're going under.

464
00:22:15,000 --> 00:22:16,466
[BILL] Yes, absolutely.  
[DAVID] Oh my gosh.

465
00:22:16,466 --> 00:22:19,800
[BILL] We're going down 
to ground zero, if you will.

466
00:22:19,900 --> 00:22:23,533
This is at the time 
of the founding of the dynasty.

467
00:22:23,766 --> 00:22:28,300
And this other temple has 
the very first stela in Copán.

468
00:22:28,300 --> 00:22:31,233
The base of it is still in situ 
right here.

469
00:22:31,233 --> 00:22:33,066
And it has the name 
of the founder

470
00:22:33,066 --> 00:22:34,700
and the place 
where he came from.

471
00:22:34,700 --> 00:22:37,166
There's the middle section 
of the Stela over there.

472
00:22:37,166 --> 00:22:40,133
That glyph happens to say 
that ruler too,

473
00:22:40,200 --> 00:22:42,300
was the son of the founder.

474
00:22:42,300 --> 00:22:44,400
And over here 
is the top of the steel

475
00:22:44,400 --> 00:22:46,566
of the real mother 
lode of information

476
00:22:46,566 --> 00:22:48,966
on this side of the stela 
we're looking at

477
00:22:48,966 --> 00:22:50,466
in the count of the days,

478
00:22:50,466 --> 00:22:54,033
this is the number nine 
rendered in a beautiful way.

479
00:22:54,166 --> 00:22:56,766
And then this is the period 
for 400 years.

480
00:22:56,766 --> 00:22:58,600
Tunnel system is very extensive.

481
00:22:58,600 --> 00:23:01,600
It goes underneath 
a great deal of the Acropolis

482
00:23:01,600 --> 00:23:04,133
and tells us about the life 
and times

483
00:23:04,133 --> 00:23:07,800
of all of the succeeding rulers 
that were building

484
00:23:08,033 --> 00:23:11,166
immense building 
complexes and accomplishing

485
00:23:11,266 --> 00:23:15,433
great feats as the successors 
to the founder of Copán.

486
00:23:15,566 --> 00:23:16,366
But in the tunnels,

487
00:23:16,366 --> 00:23:17,966
we uncovered all of these

488
00:23:17,966 --> 00:23:19,200
earlier buildings, one

489
00:23:19,200 --> 00:23:21,466
built on top of the next, 
on top of the next.

490
00:23:21,466 --> 00:23:25,300
So here we were fortunate enough 
to find the layer of the onion

491
00:23:25,300 --> 00:23:28,566
that's just before 
the final hieroglyphic stairway.

492
00:23:28,700 --> 00:23:33,400
So my archeologist colleague 
Cecia Flores is digging

493
00:23:33,400 --> 00:23:37,200
at the limit of the first 
hieroglyphic stairway.

494
00:23:37,200 --> 00:23:39,733
[DAVID] Where she is now 
is where the original staircase.

495
00:23:39,733 --> 00:23:41,300
[BILL] That█s exactly right.

496
00:23:41,300 --> 00:23:43,600
[LUKE HOLLIS] 
Over four kilometers of tunnels

497
00:23:43,600 --> 00:23:46,600
in total, now, 
we've mapped in this 3D scan.

498
00:23:46,866 --> 00:23:49,933
This is the 
Web viewer that we use for

499
00:23:50,066 --> 00:23:50,900
looking at all of the

500
00:23:50,900 --> 00:23:53,966
3D scans 
that we've created with LIDAR.

501
00:23:54,233 --> 00:23:59,166
And so this tunnel system here 
allows anyone

502
00:23:59,300 --> 00:24:03,100
now with an Internet connection 
to go walk through

503
00:24:03,233 --> 00:24:06,566
any of the places 
that you've seen today.

504
00:24:06,666 --> 00:24:08,433
[BILL] 
So the Institute of Anthropology

505
00:24:08,433 --> 00:24:12,900
is just tremendously interested 
in this because they want this

506
00:24:12,900 --> 00:24:15,266
to be something 
that every Honduran school kid

507
00:24:15,266 --> 00:24:17,500
can access, 
which they'll be able to do

508
00:24:17,500 --> 00:24:19,233
as soon as they get 
a web connection.

509
00:24:19,233 --> 00:24:21,500
And all the schools, 
of course, are getting online.

510
00:24:21,500 --> 00:24:24,633
So this way 
they'll be able to travel Copán

511
00:24:24,633 --> 00:24:27,633
and its deepest secrets 
without leaving the classroom.

512
00:24:27,766 --> 00:24:34,600
{HOPEFUL GUITAR PICKING}

513
00:24:34,733 --> 00:24:38,100
[DAVID] The Mayas of Copán 
gave us the greatest

514
00:24:38,100 --> 00:24:42,866
contributions of Maya, artistry 
and Maya writing.

515
00:24:42,866 --> 00:24:47,366
The history they provided 
us, of those 400 years of Maya

516
00:24:47,366 --> 00:24:51,566
ascendancy are incomparable 
in the history of the world.

517
00:24:51,700 --> 00:24:54,633
After 400 years, things 
began to fall apart.

518
00:24:54,900 --> 00:24:56,666
The reasons for that collapse

519
00:24:56,666 --> 00:24:58,700
are something 
that we can learn from

520
00:24:58,700 --> 00:25:02,166
because we face the same 
problems in our world now.

521
00:25:02,300 --> 00:25:06,400
{MUSIC CONCLUDES}

522
00:25:10,533 --> 00:25:13,366
Join us next time,  
In The Americas

523
00:25:13,366 --> 00:25:16,033
with me, David Yetman.

524
00:25:16,133 --> 00:25:19,433
More than a thousand years ago, 
an indigenous people

525
00:25:19,433 --> 00:25:23,866
of southern Mexico 
developed a new small empire

526
00:25:23,966 --> 00:25:26,466
with enormous artistic 
creativity

527
00:25:26,466 --> 00:25:29,366
and able to build 
monumental architecture.

528
00:25:29,366 --> 00:25:32,333
Today, only two small towns 
remain.

529
00:25:32,333 --> 00:25:35,333
They retain their ancient 
artistic creations,

530
00:25:35,600 --> 00:25:38,233
and their 
language is alive and well.

531
00:25:38,233 --> 00:25:40,966
{SPEAKING NATIVE LANGUAGE}

532
00:25:40,966 --> 00:25:42,066
[BILL] So at a eye level,

533
00:25:42,066 --> 00:25:45,033
they have actually the earliest 
part of the inscription

534
00:25:45,133 --> 00:25:49,900
that was part of the funerary 
temple of the the 12th ruler

535
00:25:49,900 --> 00:25:53,033
who we see right here 
with his puma headdress.

536
00:25:53,166 --> 00:25:57,033
And this story is 
that of events in his lifetime

537
00:25:57,033 --> 00:25:58,500
and then his burial,

538
00:25:58,500 --> 00:26:00,533
and then the rituals 
that were performed then,

539
00:26:00,533 --> 00:26:04,100
and then another ritual that was 
performed seven years later.

540
00:26:04,100 --> 00:26:09,000
And the archeological record 
corroborates this.

541
00:26:11,966 --> 00:26:13,700
[ANNOUNCER] 
Funding for In The Americas

542
00:26:13,700 --> 00:26:17,266
with David 
Yetman was provided by Robert

543
00:26:17,266 --> 00:26:20,400
and Carol Dorsey,

544
00:26:23,500 --> 00:26:26,466
the Gilford Fund,

545
00:26:29,466 --> 00:26:32,700
Arch and Laura Brown,

546
00:26:35,166 --> 00:26:41,800
and Hugh and Joyce Bell