[Aztlan] Copán and the Ch'orti'

[Lars Frühsorge]

Dear listeros,

Here are a few questions for the Copán experts among you. Two years ago 
I performed a few weeks of ethnographic research in eastern Guatemala. I 
am currently comparing my data with the existing ethnographic literature 
on that area and become more and more interested in the historical 
connection between the archaeological site of Copán and the Ch'orti' 
living in that area today.  I am aware of the works by Kerry Hull who 
compared Classic period inscriptions and contemporary poetry of the 
Ch'orti'. He also cites an interesting oral tradition about a king of 
Copán but the real age of such a narrative is hard to estimate. 
According to a dissertation on the heritage industry at Copán by Lena 
Mortensen Ch'orti' claims on that site are relatively recent.

In contrast, back in the 1940s Rafael Girard speculated that the 
original inhabitants of the city were Ch'orti'-speaker. Is there any 
epigraphic evidence from the site itself supporting this hypothesis?
Girard also reported contemporary Ch'orti' rituals (including the 
burning of candles and sacrifices of birds) taking place in the ruins of 
Copán, more precisely in a patio of Temple 22.  
As Girard is a rather problematic source I was wondering if contemporary 
ritual activities were ever mentioned in any of the older archaeological 
reports.
When I visited Copán in 2007 local guides described similar ceremonies 
but they were obviously influenced by cultural activists of the 
pan-Mayan-movement in Guatemala and seem to have started in the 1990s.   

Of course, this does not mean that there is no historical  background 
for these rituals. For example back in the 16^th century Palacio (the 
first European to describe Copán) mentioned that people in the area 
still remembered the site and that according to a local tradition the 
ancient city was originally built by a king from Yucatán. This idea in 
turn is supported by inscriptions dealing with the arrival of a stranger 
called Yax K'u'k Mo who eventually became a founder of the local dynasty.

I am also aware of the fact that in the Early Postclassical a new group 
moved into this area. These people removed stones from the original site 
to use them for the construction of new houses outside the core area. 
But what about the Late Postclassic and Colonial period?  Did the 
excavations shed any light on how later inhabitants of that area viewed 
and used the site?

Thank you for any comment on this topic!

Yours

Lars