DESCRIPTION’ OF (THE SITE: 9 
163) tending to show that it may have been commenced shortly after 
9.11.0.0.0 of the Maya Era.!_ As to the date of its completion, however, we 
can speak with more assurance. In its present form, the Acropolis seems 
to have been completed about 9.17.0.0.0 of the Maya Era, some 12 years 
before the last stele were erected in the Great Plaza and probably less than 
50 years before the city itself was abandoned. This date is recorded both 
on Temple 21a in the Eastern Court and on the reviewing stand in the 
Western Court, and also on Altar Z standing on the terrace between the two. 
(See plate 6.) 
The earliest of these three courts, the Court of the Hieroglyphic Stair- 
way, lies at the northern base of the Acropolis, the northernmost extensions of 
which form its eastern and western ends. (See plate 6.) Itisg1 meters long 
and 43 meters wide, and is unique in having the longest inscription known in 
the Corpus feecaticuhta Mayarum, namely, that on the Hieroglyphic 
Stairway ascending the western slope of Mound 26.? 
There are two stele in this court, M and N,? and five temples around its 
sides—Nos. 7, 9, 10, 11, and 26. Of these, only Temples 11 and 26 were 
decorated with sculpture, but they are among the most elaborate in the city. 
No trace now remains of Temple 26, but the sculptures fallen from it at 
the base of the substructure justify the belief that it must have ranked with 
Temples 11 and 22 in magnificence. 
Temple 11 was excavated by Maudslay in 1885 and was found to contain 
some very handsomely decorated interior chambers, a hieroglyphic step, and 
panels.4 
The remaining temples, Nos. 7, 9, and 10, were excavated by Gordon in 
1892-1895, but they did not contain any interior sculptures.* 
Temple 26 and the hieroglyphic stairway leading to it were completed in 
9.16.5.0.0, and during the next 15 years the Eastern and Western Courts 
were laid out in their final forms and the series of magnificent temples sur- 
rounding them (Nos. 11, 16, 20, 21, 21a, and 22) were erected. This was 
the greatest and probably also the final period of architectural activity at 
Copan. Possibly the site continued to be occupied for a number of years 
after the close of building operations, but since thejlater monuments show no 
falling off in style, we are forced to conclude that the city was abandoned at 
its zenith, and before decline and decay had made themselves felt to any 
appreciable extent. 
The Western Court would appear to have been of less importance than 
the Eastern Court, since only one of the principal temples, No. 16, faces upon 
1The method of transcribing Maya dates in terms of our own notation will be explained in a later section of 
this chapter, see pp. 47-49. The corresponding equivalents in Christian chronology will be given in Appendix IT, 
where the whole subject of the correlation of Maya and Christian chronology has been reviewed. 
2For a detailed description of this important text, see pp. 237-274 and Gordon, 1902. 
3The nomenclature of the different monuments at Copan is somewhat confusing, different systems having 
been employed at different times. The system followed here, namely, that commenced by Maudslay and 
enlarged by Gordon and the writer, is explained in Appendix III. 
4Maudslay, 1889-1902, vol. 1 of text, pp. 21, 22. 
5Gordon, 1896, pp. 20, 21, 25. 
