HISTORY OF COPAN. 



99 



he never visited them. It is but lately that accounts of 

 their existence reached Europe and our own country. 

 These accounts, however vague and unsatisfactory, had 

 roused our curiosity ; though I ought perhaps to say 

 that both Mr. C. and I were somewhat skeptical, and 

 when we arrived at Copan, it was with the hope, rather 

 than the expectation, of finding wonders. 



Since the discovery of these ruined cities the prevail- 

 ing theory has been, that they belonged to a race long 

 anterior to that which inhabited the country at the time 

 of the Spanish conquest. With regard to Copan, men- 

 tion is made by the early Spanish historians of a place 

 of that name, situated in the same region of country in 

 which these ruins are found, which then existed as an 

 inhabited city, and offered a formidable resistance to the 

 Spanish arms, though there are circumstances which 

 seem to indicate that the city referred to was inferior in 

 strength and solidity of construction, and of more mod- 

 ern origin. 



It stood in the old province of Chiquimula de Sierras, 

 which was conquered by the officers of Pedro de Alvara- 

 do, but not one of the Spanish historians has given any 

 particulars of this conquest. In 1530 the Indians of the 

 province revolted, and attempted to throw off the yoke 

 of Spain. Hernando de Chaves was sent to subdue 

 them, and, after many sanguinary battles, he encamped 

 before Esquipulas, a place of arms belonging to a pow- 

 erful cacique, which, on the fourth day, to use the words 

 of the cacique himself, " more out of respect to the pub- 

 lic tranquillity than from fear of the Spanish arms, de- 

 termined to surrender," and, with the capital, the whole 

 province submitted again to the Spanish dominion. 



The cacique of Copan, whose name was Copan Calel, 

 had been active in exciting the revolt and assisting the 



