AncientPages.com - On March 8, 1576, Diego García de Palacio explored the city of Copan. Palacio was a Spanish explorer sent to investigate new lands.
Diego García de Palacio was one of the first anthropologists because, unlike the conquistadors, he actually interacted with rather than conquered the people.
Ball Court - Copan Ruins, Honduras. Credit: Adalberto Hernandez Vega - CC BY 2.0
After Copán was abandoned, it became later overgrown by the rainforest and partially destroyed by earthquakes and the nearby river over the centuries.
Although local inhabitants knew of its existence, the ruined city was virtually unknown to the outside world. Diego García de Palacio was the first European who discovered the ruins of Copán, one of the most important sites of the Mayan civilization.
In a letter to King Philip II of Spain in 1576, de Palacio wrote that the city 'was built with such skill that it seems it could never have been made by people as coarse as the inhabitants of this province.'
At first, people did not believe Palacio's stories, and it wasn't until 1860 that these stories were proven true. Around that same time, British newspapers published his report, and since then, the interest in this ancient civilization has never died down.
The Mayans had a language and were advanced in math, science, writing, and architecture. Copan, amongst many other Mayan cities, is famous for its architecture.
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