Hieroglyphic Stairway: (right)
This is the longest pre-Columbian hieroglyphic inscription in America and one of the most remarkable monuments built by the Maya during the Classic Period. Most inscriptions at Copan are very short, relating specific ritual and dedicatory information on the monuments. The exception is the Hieroglyphic Stairway. In over two thousand hieroglyphs on 63 steps, the text recounts much dynastic history, beginning with references to the dynasty’s founder, K’inich Yax K’uk’ Mo.

Cornerstone of Copan: (below)
This disk was carved of a limestone boulder and served as a crypt’s tombstone. Two seated rulers occupy a cloverleaf space, which symbolizes a portal to the underworld. On the left is the first ruler in the dynasty, K’inich Yax K’uk’ Mo’ and the figure on the right is his son, the second in the line of royal succession. When archaeologists unearthed the stone beneath the Hieroglyphic Stairway in 1992, they dubbed it the “Cornerstone of Copan” because it established the city-state as a royal ceremonial center.

Patterns in Time: (left)
Buried here are structures dating back to the first ruler K’inich Yax K’uk Mo and his son and royal successor. Many of the earlier buildings faced west, just as the present structure does. A stela found buried here might be the first one made at Copan. This restored structure is the latest version of three older substructures on the same location.