Honduras is world-famous for its archaeology, particularly the Maya Copán near the Guatemala border.

Copán

Copán Ruinas offers hotels, restaurants and a archaeological museum for what is no doubt one of the Maya World's most beautiful as well as perhaps the best-preserved and most-studied archaeological sites. Copán Ruinas is located in northwest Honduras, near the border with Guatemala, 184 kilometers from San Pedro Sula along the CA-4 highway and 438 kilometers from Tegucigalpa. UNESCO declared the ruins a World Heritage Site in 1980. The area was settled by about 1200 B.C. and abandoned by the end of the ninth century, soon after it reached its peak. During that time, Mayan sculpture reached its zenith -- particularly in the carving of stelae and altars -- and the city boasts more sculptures than any other site in the Maya World. The site boasts a visitor's center and a Maya Sculpture Museum featuring stelae, altars and other structures from the site.

The nearby Copán Sculpture Museum houses 3,000 pieces of sculpture. Native trees are planted around the base, and openings in the roof allow for a great deal of natural light. The building is aligned with the compass points, just as the Mayan buildings themselves are. The entrance to the museum is modeled on the traditional entrance into Mayan tombs. Visitors enter through a long tunnel that resembles a passageway into a Mayan pyramid. At the end of the tunnel, in the center of the museum, is an exact replica of the Rosalila Temple, recreated in stunning detail.

Talgua Caves Archaeological and Ecological Park

Several years ago archaeologists explored the 2-kilometer-long caves and found ritual offerings and painted skeletons of almost 200 people dating to 2,500 years ago. Hence, its more popular name as the Caves of the Glowing Skulls. Calcite deposits dripped endlessly over the centuries, making the cave and the ochre-painted skeletons sparkle and glow when light is shined on them. The site will be eastern Honduras’ first national archaeological site. No date has been set for the opening of the Talgua Caves Archaeological and Ecological Park, but officials promise the construction of 4 kilometers of new highway from Catacamas to the site, plus various walking paths, a footbridge, a visitor's center, and a network of ladders and platforms to help visitors navigate the caves.