Mission: Possible

Friday morning started early. The plan was to wake up early and drive to Copan so we could have the full day to explore the town. As we were all packing up the house and cleaning, our host dad turned on the television that revealed a disaster occurring in Japan.

The Japan earthquake and the resulting tsunami were happening in front of our eyes. The tsunami was set to hit Honduras around 5 p.m. that night. Luckily for us, we were nestled in the mountains and not near the coast. It was still very eerie to watch the water wash over homes, buildings, and roads. The total destruction is still shocking.

We decided that we would use one of our working cell phones to call Julie’s mom and then Julie’s mom would then call all of our parents to let them know we were safe.

After we had cleaned the house and watched some more of the Japan coverage, we all packed into the car and headed down to see Proffe one last time.

The entire group and the entire host family all huddled in to the little room. We all surrounded Proffe and gave the family a few gifts from home. Every year we bring a photo of the previous year’s group and a few token Gonzaga items. There were several tears as we all hugged goodbye. It always feels like we are leaving family behind.

The drive to Copan took a few hours. We checked into our hostel and split into different groups based on how we wanted to spend the day. A few of us stayed around Copan and spent the day walking around the town.

Lindsay headed out on her own and explored Makah Mountain to look at birds. Another group went zip-lining and one group went to visit the Copan Ruins.

Copan Ruins – by Audrey

Upon first approach at Copan’s Mayan ruins, it seems that they must be hiding something great. The entrance is grand and exciting, like a an amusement park with a scaled replica of the ruins inside, and the tour guide makes a big deal out of using the restroom here (how far away from here are the ruins?).

As we are ushered outside for what seems like a nature walk, it starts to lightly rain and we can hear the sounds of birds. Our tour guide explains the many varieties of trees and birds in the area and their involvement in Honduras’s development. Among them are the:

• the ceiba tree; a thorny tree when it is young, it connected the Mayan underworld to the heavens through its roots and high-reaching branches:
• the avocado tree; a fruit that we eat with joy is native to Central America. Its name in Spanish, aguacate, comes from the Nahuatl (the language spoken by those native to central Mexico): “te” means tree, and “aguaca” means testicle, a reference to the fact that the fruits grow in pairs on the tree.
• The cacao tree, from which we derive cocoa powder! At some points in history, the cacao seeds were also used as currency.

Once we pass the macaws and toucans, we walk to the acropolis, climbing a windy staircase made of ancient stones. At the top, we are instantly gratified to see the impressive enormity of the ruins. Apparently, we have something in common with the ancient Maya: they also loved monuments. The main temple in the acropolis received a facelift every time a new emperor from the 16-king dynasty took over.

Additionally, each time the temple was renewed, they left entrances to get to the older temples inside of the new one. It was their way of demonstrating how productive the king would be while respecting the past institution by keeping the placement the same.

After exploring the acropolis, our tour continues with the emperors’ palace, a compilation of multiple buildings for his enormous family, and to the assembly area, where wealthy Mayans could congregate to see the king. It is hard not to imagine the king’s obvious influence and power when sitting in the place of the Mayans: his backdrop would be a large temple and his voice would reverberate throughout with the plastered floors and and excellent acoustics.

The final stop on our tour is the open plaza. There, common people could come to watch the succession of the kings and sacrifices to the gods. The alters are aligned with the stars, and the ancient Maya played their ball game to ensure the continuing order and balance within the universe.

On the side near the acropolis, the Hieroglyphic Stairway sits as a constant reminder of the history of the Maya. The stairway depicts their history in unique form of writing that uses pictograms and combinations of pictograms to tell their story. When standing under the large tarp which protects the hieroglyphs, staring up at the steep stairs covered with symbols, you feel that history.

Reconnected – Friends Again!

After a much-needed break from the group, we all came back from our various trips and had a fantastic evening. We had spent every minute for the last week together and things were getting a little tense. After our excursions, we all went to a restaurant with a great outdoor patio and an even better happy hour. Happy hour led to dancing which then led to karaoke.