Copan Ruins , Honduras Central America

Very few textiles from the Mayan culture have survived, so the treasure trove of fabrics excavated from a tomb at the Copán ruins in Honduras has generated considerable excitement.

Textiles conservator Margaret Ordoñez, a professor at the University of Rhode Island, spent a month at the site examining 100 textile samples found in a tomb, and since then she has been analyzing tiny fragments of 49 samples she brought back to her lab to see what she could learn from them.

The tomb, one of three excavated by archaeologists from the University of Pennsylvania, was of a woman of high status who was buried during the 5th century.

According to scientist studies, the Mayas painted some of their ornate temples with mica which is a glittery mineral to make them sparkle in the sun.
They have taken flakes of paint from the Rosalila temple in Copán, Honduras, and discovered traces of the shiny mineral in the analysis.

This particular temple was built in the sixth century A.D., today it sits “entombed” in a giant pyramid that has been built around it.

The sacred site was given a dazzling appearance by the sparkling paint, because the mica pigment would have had a lustrous effect, according to a doctoral student in physical sciences and the study’s lead author, Rosemary Goodall.

Ancient Maya rulers knew a thing or two about pizzazz.

Some 1,500 years later, we still marvel at the stone temples they built. Now, according new findings, we have even more to marvel at.

The temples - known today for their massive size, shape and astronomical alignment - once literally dazzled in daylight.

Rosemary Goodall, a Queensland University of Technology researcher, attributes the effect to two special pigments the Mayan builders used.

Goodall applied a new analysis technique to examine tiny paint samples from a once vibrantly-coloured Rosalila temple in the Mayan city of Copan - a famous tourist site in Honduras, Central America.

Honduras’ raw authenticity and lush beauty leaves even the most culturally jaded deeply affected. The newly elected president’s push for increased stability, safety and education is evident. And in an effort to fight poverty, Honduras is following in the footsteps of its Central American neighbors Belize and Costa Rica by encouraging eco-tourism. Still largely undiscovered by tourist masses, the slow and friendly town of Copán Ruinas is an outdoor enthusiast’s utopia, with birding, waterfalls, hiking and hot springs, while its ruins are a mecca for archaeology buffs - more than 7,000 Maya descendents live in nearby mountainous villages.

Whoever named Copán Ruinas had it easy.

A town springs up by mysterious Maya ruins in Honduras’ Copán Valley? Presto, just link the location to its main attraction.

Visitors often presume this tranquil town near the Guatemala border is all about the archaeology: Not true. If you only stop at the amazing Maya excavations - granted, no Central America jaunt is complete without doing so - you’ll miss the small town’s many beguiling charms.

Archaeologists working in Honduras have discovered an entombed human skeleton of an elite member of the ancient Maya Empire that may help unravel some longstanding mysteries of the vanished culture.

The remains, seated in an upright position in an unusual tomb and flanked by shells, pottery, vessels, and jade adornments, suggest a surprisingly diverse culture and complex political system in the influential Maya city of Copán around A.D. 650.

Located at the western edge of modern-day Honduras near the border with Guatemala, Copán, was one of the most important Maya sites, flourishing between the fifth and ninth centuries A.D.

Traveling sleuths captivated by culture, history, archeology and all things Maya, can take part in the International Copan Congress June 14-16, in Copan, Honduras. This is only the third time in 60 years such an event has been held; and this year it is open to Maya experts, enthusiasts and the public at large.

The program features eighteen of the world’s most well-versed Maya archeologists, cultural historians, artists and scholars of anthropology and astronomy gathering to share their knowledge in formal presentations, round table forums, demonstrations and culinary samplings. Information will be geared to a general audience.

COPAN RUINAS, Honduras - Men in jeans and straw hats walked along the highway that snaked through the mountains from San Pedro Sula to Copan Ruinas; fruit stands speckled the route.

A small landslide caused by some heavy rains made part of our drive difficult, but my local guide, Eli, told me this was nothing - there had been times when he was unable to bring tourists to Copan because labor strikes blockaded this road.

In my mid-20s, this was my first solo trip. And to a country where I didn’t speak the language, no less.

Couple steps up for children
Springfield News-Leader - David and Danyel Anderson delighted Honduran children this year by giving them a variety of Dollar Store toys from Springfield. But the barefoot youths did not ask the Peace Corps volunteers to bring more balls and bracelets when they return next

Summit’s helping hands reach
Summit Daily News - Ducayet shared her excitement with her church in Breckenridge, St. John the Baptist Episcopal, which had been searching for an appropriate project since it received a large donation at the end of 2004 for outreach purposes. A few months later

Science News of the Year 2005
Science News - An asterisk (*) indicates that the text of the item is available free. The full text of any article can be obtained by Science News subscribers who have registered and signed in. Science News of Yesteryear “Construction of two rigid airships of