A charming town set in the hills just to the east of the border with Guatemala, Copan Ruinas thrives and survives on visitors passing through to visit the nearby ruins. The Copan archaeological site is one of the major Maya sites in Central America and certainly the most significant in Honduras, and they mark the south-eastern limit of Maya dominance. It flourished during the 7th century of our era and is representative today of what Athens, to the old world; the cradle of its civilization. Exploring the ruins you see a huge complex consisting of several plazas and many temples built on various levels. This larger site, Copán, is Mayan, whereas the smaller one, Las Sepulturas, is Lenca and about a kilometre from the main one. Both sites sit in an unbelievably verdant valley bisected by the Rio Chamelecón. The many different areas of Copan offer visitors a feast of Mayan artefacts to discover. The detail and sheer volume of carvings and stelae are impressive; 4,509 structures have been detected with 3,450 of the structures found only 24 sq km surrounding the Principal Group. The Principal Group consists of five basic areas of interest: the Acropolis, the Tunnels, the Ball Court, the Hieroglyphic Stairway, and the Great Plaza.