|
January 2009: Though this has not been confirmed by the government, it seems that the initiative to build an airport near the archaeological park
is at a stand still, which is good considering the damage the airport
can do to the site. No news or issues have come up recently.
Staying vigilant is the best recourse.
|
|
|
|
|
Yax Pac, right, receives the baton of power from his ancestor Yax Kuk Mo, the first ruler of the Copan dynasty. The image is a detail from Altar Q.
|
|
The government of Honduras has approved plans to build an airport near the archaeological site of Copan to make it easy for tourists to land closer to the ruins. The government has sent a letter to the UNESCO committee in charge of sites considered Patrimony of the World to remove Copan from such list to give way to the construction of the airport.
Students and professors of the faculty of History and Archaeology at UNAH, the Autonomous University of Honduras, have pleaded with the government to listen to those that are asking to change the location to La Entrada, about 60 kms. north of Copan and therefore not a risk to the archaeological site.
We must be vigilant of the government intentions and be vocal about the construction of such an airport. This would be the third airport to be built at or near Copan. The first, which began construction in the 1930s, destroyed sections of the ancient city. The second, on the grassy strip near the on-site museum, has also thankfully stopped its operations.
We understand the government’s need to make Copan more accessible to visitors from around the world, but driving one hour from La Entrada is not a problem for most travelers and it would protect the delicate stones of Copan.
|
