Copán Photographs

Archaeologists digging in the excavation tunnels deep within Temple #16 unexpectedly discovered a slightly smaller and elaborately sculptured ancient temple still in original condition. It had been build by the 10th Ruler of Copan, "Moon Jaguar," and had been dedicated in AD 571, long before Copan's 16th Ruler "Yax Pahsaj" consturcted Temple #16 over the newly discovered temple. In most instances, when a new Maya king constructs a larger structure over one built by the previous ruler, it causes considerable damage to the earlier structure and they were often dismantled before new construction began. But in this instance, the earlier temple's exterior walls had been carefully covered and preserved with soft soil, protecting them from any damage. Because there were traces of the original bright rose coloring still showing on the buried temple, archaeologists decided to name it "Rosalila." It is the only known example of a temple structure surviving intact at Copán.A narrow illuminated path inside the tunnel entrance now allows visitors to walk around the footprint of Temple #16 just inside its exterior walls, allowing visitors to view sections of the recently unearthed "Rosalila" temple.Having discovered this amazing Maya art treasure in good condition, archaeologists and the Honduran Goverment wanted to preserve Temple #16 as it is, but also allow visitors to view the newly discovered temple as it once appeared. A creative solution was conceived by making lightweight plaster castings of its exterior walls while it was still underneath Temple #16. The team of archaeologists then used the finished castings to reconstruct a facsimile of "Rosalila" where visitors could view an ancient Maya temple in its original bright colors and appearance. To enhance this opportunity, funds were raised to construct a spacious modern Copán Sculptures Museum in 1996 just outside the Copán ruins in which to house the reconstructed "Rosalila" temple. In addition, the new museum also exhibits and preserves many of Copán's other rare sculptures, altars, and temple facades. When a monolith or altar is about to be moved into the new Copán Sculptures Museum, a casting is carefully mae of the original carved stone and the cast duplicate is made weatherproof and painted to look like the original sculpture, then is put in the original's place within the ruins.