Plaza A, Plan de las Mesas, Copan, Honduras: The Sacred Center of an Early Classic Hilltop Fortress

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Mountains, Rain, and Techniques of Governance in Mesoamerica" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The Plan de las Mesas archaeological site is a fortress built on top of a high hill, which dominates the Copan Pocket at its northern end. Plaza A, Group 1, is the second highest area of the site and the most complex, containing the tallest pyramidal platform and a central altar to the south, an atypical pattern in the Copan area, but one extremely common at Teotihuacan. Other buildings at the plaza have shown architectural features also related to Teotihuacan as well as a high percentage of Pachuca obsidian. From Plaza A one can see not only the Copan Acropolis but also a wide extension of the valley floor, where most of the population was living during the Classic period. Also visible from this high scenic point are other mountain sanctuary sites such as the locations of Stelae 12 and 10, Los Sapos, La Laguna, and Cerro Chino. These sacred spaces may have also functioned as checkpoints to visually control both the local population as well as from which to spot any incursion from outsiders. Las Mesas was also an ideal location from which to watch the movement of celestial bodies in the night sky.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Mountains, Rain, and Techniques of Governance in Mesoamerica   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 41607.0