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Abandonment of Copán (822)

Type Event Region Mesoamerica Time 822–850

Around 822 CE, the Maya city-state of Copán in western Honduras ceased royal inscriptions and the erection of Long Count stelae, and its palace and t…

Timeline

  1. 822Royal palace area of Copán · Copán DepartmentThe last royal inscription stela of Copán (Stela P) is dated to 822; thereafter the city-state erected no new stelae or recorded dynastic events, indicating that the ritual royal political system could no longer be sustained.
  2. c. 830–850Copán archaeological site group · Copán DepartmentArchaeological strata show that palaces, temples, and noble burial areas were systematically abandoned in a planned manner; some buildings were filled in and sealed, the elite withdrew, and the city-state's function as a regional political center came to an end.

Sources