the scarlet macaw

years ago on a trip to Costa Rica we came across a beach with a flock of scarlet macaws and i was hooked.  i had never seen such a magnificent bird. they are big and noisy and messy and dominate the environment.  

like choosing a favorite child, this is secretly my favorite bird.  i haven't seen any in Guatemala since i arrived and suspect they have been harvested to the point of extinction for their beautiful plumage.

i was thrilled to hear they have been reintroduced to the valley of Copan and thriving in the wild.  at the Hacienda San Lucas they encourage them to visit with nesting boxes on the property.  

the macaws welcome you at the entrance to the Copan ruins which is appropriate as they figure prominently in the Mayan story.  when i spot the first streak of red i am so happy to see them again.  we were told they are the birds used on the 'goal posts' of the ball court and it follows that their feathers would also be sought after by the royals for their costumes.  the ancient Mayan mythology refers to the scarlet macaw as the representation of the sun which is easy to imagine given the vibrant color of the feathers and regal way that they rule the sky.

there is a moment as we walk through the ruins when a group of 20+ macaws fly overhead - as noisy and playful as i remember - and everyone stands rooted where they are to watch the display.  there is a bird 'sanctuary' close to Copan called Macaw Mountain and i am excited to visit it to see the work they are doing.  



i left macaw mountain with very mixed feelings.  i didn't get an understanding for the impact they were having.  being a lover of wild life it was heart breaking to see wild birds kept in small enclosures and breeding cages while elaborate walkways and bridges had been constructed for people.  the staff encouraged visitors to touch, handle and hold the birds for a photo op which i see as enabling people to interact with wildlife in an inappropriate way.

i felt the organization could be more responsible in education and presentation about these wild birds and it seemed more like a zoo and less like a sanctuary to me.  i didn't voice my thoughts to the group but they talked about how much more satisfying it was to see the birds in the wild at the ruins than in the cages. 

the copan ruins

the ruins in Copan are considered as important as those at Tikal because of the abundance of stone with Mayan writing that document the civilization at it's height between 300AD and 900AD.  it reminded me of visiting first the temples of Angkor Wat in Cambodia and then later seeing remnants of that same civilization 500 miles away in Vietnam. 


the more time i spend in the region, the more i am learning of the Mayan civilization and how advanced they were.  right after i arrived in Antigua i met an american woman who had been living in Guatemala for about 30 years.  she spent her career studing Mayan civilization.


whenever i get by for a glass of wine i learn a little bit more about the ancient Mayans.  she believes that Mayan medicine was so much more advanced that the arrival of the Spaniards set back medical advancement by about 500 years.  that's not something you are going to read about in the west.

we find the main site and a guide [arranged by the Hacienda] and as we walk to the gates we are welcomed by a very large group of wild macaws.  more on the macaws in the next post.  

this UNESCO site is well preserved and much of what has been uncovered remains in it's original position.  the stones tell the story of the dynastic rule in Copan [today we would call it political propaganda] and the rituals that help historians understand the belief system.  the stones show a special reverence for animals.  those that live both above ground and below ground were believed to travel between the living and the dead.  the dead dwelling being inside the earth.  those that fly above were revered as carriers of the sun and responsible for the sunrises and sunsets.

the ball court here and it's importance in the rituals is all new to me.  at some mesoamerican sites the ball courts were used for gaming.  no so here.  the leader of the winning team was sacrificed and this was considered an honor.  the sacrificed winner would decend into the dwelling of the dead to apease the gods and become a communicator with the rulers of the living.  

the temples, the writings, the construction all point to a very sophisticated civilization and as more secrets of this ancient world are uncovered many people theorize they were more advanced than other civilizations like the Egyptians.

here comes the preachy part .... coming from a culture that places little value on animals beyond a food source it's really hard to wrap your mind around how much the Mayans respected the animals, the earth and worked with the cycles of the year to live in harmony with the environment.  there are really important lessons to be learned in the telling of their story.  it is now recognized that the decline of the civilization was in part caused by over population and poor use of the land.  they could no longer produce enough food to sustain the large centers of population.  the land surrounding the Copan ruins had been completely deforested and it's impact is still present today as the old growth trees aren't present to protect the valley from mud slides.  

back to Copan, the ruins and town are not as commercialized as most UNESCO sites which is good to see but reflect how out of the way and less visited they are.  it's a minimum of six hours by road and most trips are longer than that.

i feel so blessed to be able to see these amazing ruins.  El Mirador is next on the amazing ruins list ... but it is only accessible via a multi day hike or via helicopter.  the first being scary to me because it's on horses through the jungle and the second option being a bit pricey.