New approaches in archaeological research, heritage management and community engagement for the Copan Valley

Summary

Archaeological sites in the Copan Valley have benefited from a number of large-scale Honduran government-sponsored and international research projects over the past 80 years. Those efforts have contributed strongly to the broad dissemination of knowledge about the ancient city, and the conservation of many Copan monuments and residential sites. However, even before the global recession and the traumatic events of the coup in 2009, it was clear that the State was challenged in trying to address all of the urgent needs detailed in the various Copan Site Management Plans. Two locally based non-profits created to support Copan archaeology and education (with which we are involved) have accomplished a great deal and remain very active. Nevertheless, to maintain heritage management initiatives, community engagement, responsible sustainable tourism, archaeological awareness, and continued research and rescue operations, requires establishing flexible and responsive collaborative endeavors in the region. We explore some of our own efforts to those ends with our ongoing Santander Program for Research and Conservation of Maya Sculpture, including the Proyecto Arqueológico Rastrojón Copán (PARACOPAN), and introduce the diversity of approaches that will be presented in the session.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Community Diversity in the Archaeological Past and the Complicated Present: Ongoing Field Research and Civic Engagements in the Copan Valley, Honduras   •
• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage