Copán is one of the
departments
Department may refer to:
* Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility
Government and military
*Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...
in the western part of
Honduras. The departmental capital is the town of
Santa Rosa de Copán. The department is well known for its
tobacco
Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ch ...
and fine
cigars.
The department is famous for its
Pre-Columbian
In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era spans from the original settlement of North and South America in the Upper Paleolithic period through European colonization, which began with Christopher Columbus's voyage of 1492. Usually, ...
archaeological site at
Copán
Copán is an archaeological site of the Maya civilization in the Copán Department of western Honduras, not far from the border with Guatemala. This ancient Maya city mirrors the beauty of the physical landscape in which it flourished—a f ...
, one of the greatest cities of the
Maya civilization
The Maya civilization () of the Mesoamerican people is known by its ancient temples and glyphs. Its Maya script is the most sophisticated and highly developed writing system in the pre-Columbian Americas. It is also noted for its art, ar ...
.
The department of Copán covers a total surface area of 3,242 km
2 and, in 2015, had an estimated population of about 382,722 people.
Etymology
The name "Copán" is from the mayan
Ch'orti' language.
History
The territory that today is the department was inhabited by the Maya-Chortis civilization in the west and north; and
Lenca
The Lenca or Lepawiran "people of the jaguar" are from present day southwest Honduras and eastern El Salvador in Central America. They once spoke many Dialects such as Chilanga, Putun, Kotik etc. Although there were different dialects, they un ...
in the extreme south. Its name "Copán" is due to the chief
Copán Galel
Copán is an archaeological site of the Maya civilization in the Copán Department of western Honduras, not far from the border with Guatemala. This ancient Maya city mirrors the beauty of the physical landscape in which it flourished—a fert ...
, a warrior who defended his lands before the Spanish colonization. This territory was within the jurisdiction of the colonial city of
Gracias a Dios and until May 28, 1869, it was within the jurisdiction of the department of
Lempira. On that date it was officially created as the Department of Copán and the city of
Santa Rosa de Copán was named as the capital, during the administration of Captain General Don
José María Medina.
Economy
The Department of Copán is a geographically mountainous area, its main source of income is tourism to the Mayan archaeological sites, followed by the cultivation and production of coffee, tobacco, livestock, agriculture of vegetables and basic grains, production of articles in leather or saddlery, industrial products, etc.
Municipalities
References
Departments of Honduras
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