The Structure Oropéndola in the Acropolis of Copán

Abstract

The structure known as Oropéndola is located at the interior of Structure 10L-16, at the center of the Acropolis of Copan. The construction of this building is dated to the mid Early Classic; a little later than Rosalila, suggesting a date between 550 and 600 a.C. Oropéndola is characterized for being the first building in which we observed a change from modelled stucco to stone mosaics, which in following centuries became Copan´s distinctive hallmark as one of the finest decorated and artistic urban centers of the Maya World. Both its iconography as its location in the ancient Acropolis shows a clear relation between the building and the underworld. The prevalent image is that of the jaguar, animal associated in maya art with the nocturnal sun, the night, shadows, and the aquatic realm of the underworld. The images are more than artistic forms; they also represent a whole belief system consisting of what is considered strong, brave and powerful in the real world (the ruler and his warriors) as well as in the supernatural world. Both Rosalila and Oropéndola are marked as sacred mountains, witz, and have a multitude of other iconographic elements of maya cosmology, a great deal of them related to ancestor worship and the power of kings.