We finally arrived at Copán, with its brightly colored buildings and its narrow cobblestone streets, just as beautiful and majestic as I remember it being 31 years ago. We were greeted by the staff of the hotel Marina Copán with smiles that warm the heart and eyes that said, “Welcome to my home.” The hotel is located in the heart of the city and was once a family home named after Doña Marina Villamil de Welchez. In the 1930s, the Carnegie Institute in Washington, D.C., agreed to finance the excavation of the acropolis area of the ruins, and the home was opened to archeologists and visitors who needed lodging and meals. The hotel was built on the site of the family home in 1945. The hotel has incredibly managed to retain its sense of old-world colonial architecture with new-world amenities such as a pool, gym, sauna, laundry room, dry cleaning service, currency exchange, gift shop, room service, multilingual staff, a restaurant and a conference room. We walked through the beautifully manicured courtyard gardens and marveled at the deep grained woods, mahogany abound, brightly plastered surroundings and colorful ceramic tile. Once on top of the hotel’s balconies, you can see spectacular views of the town and the mountains that seem to contain this beautiful and ancient place in its bosom.

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For more information about The Maya and More program, visit: http://www.roadscholar.org/n/program/summary.aspx?id=1%2BJB%2B86