I am so glad I came here. Copan has had 16 rulers and they have left an impressive legacy of carvings which have been preserved in astonishing condition, partly because the stone quality here allowed for three dimensional carvings.
The hieroglyphs found here have contributed majorly to deciphering the Maya alphabet. They mostly depict the history of the city of Copan and its rulers, as well as religious images and astronomical events. The pyramids were a way the rulers could connect with the Gods and the underworld, and sometimes also served as astronomical markers.
The famous Hieroglyphic Stairway is made of 2200 glyph blocks comprising the entire western facade of Temple 26, forming the longest-known Maya hieroglyphic text.
There are two tunnels the archaeologists have dug underneath the pyramids, which allow to one to see previous pyramids and their carvings. When the Mayas built on top of pyramids they left room between the pyramids, and especially left one magnificent temple intact. It is quite rare to get such an opportunity to climb up and down within a Maya pyramid and it felt like Indiana Jones as I was the only one about.
The next day I visited the local Museum of Archaeology which exhibits some interesting finds, like the tomb of a female shaman including a puma skeleton amongst the offerings, and a skull of a ruler with decorative Jade dental implants.
As Copan is one of the southernmost Maya sites, for me this has been definitely one of the highlights of my trip.