Editing Copán (section)

===Monuments===
[[File:Altar Q at Copán, Honduras.jpg|thumb|right|Altar Q depicts 16 kings in the dynastic succession of the city.]]
[[File:CPN GREAT PLAZA 03.jpg|thumb|right|Great Plaza of the Stelae]]
[[File:Copán Stela P.jpg|thumb|Stela P, depicting K'ak' Chan Yopaat<ref name="Martin & Grube 2000, p. 200"/>]]

'''[[Copán Altar Q|Altar Q]]''' is the most famous monument at Copán.{{sfn|Agurcia Fasquelle|Fash|2005|p=201}} It was dedicated by king Yax Pasaj Chan Yopaat in AD&nbsp;776 and has each of the first 16 kings of the Copán dynasty carved around its side. Each figure is depicted seated on his name glyph. A hieroglyphic text is inscribed on the upper surface, relating the founding of the dynasty in AD&nbsp;426–427. On one side, it shows the dynastic founder K'inich Yax K'uk' Mo' transferring power to Yax Pasaj.<ref>{{harvnb|Martin|Grube|2000|pp=210, 192}}; {{harvnb|Sharer|Traxler|2006|p=341}}.</ref> [[Tatiana Proskouriakoff]] first discovered the inscription on the West Side of Altar Q that tells us the date of the inauguration of Yax Pasaj. This portrayal of political succession tells us much about Early Classic Maya culture.

The '''Motmot Capstone''' is an inscribed stone that was placed over a tomb under Structure 10L-26. Its face was finely sculpted with portraits of the first two kings of the Copán dynasty, K'inich Yax K'uk' Mo' and K'inich Popol Hol, facing towards each other with a double column of hieroglyphs between them, all contained within a quatrefoil frame. The frame and the hieroglyphic names of mythological locations underneath the feet of the two kings place them in a supernatural realm. The capstone bears two calendrical dates, in AD&nbsp;435 and AD&nbsp;441. The second of these is probably the date that the capstone was dedicated.<ref name="Martin & Grube 2000, p. 194"/>

The '''Xukpi Stone''' is a dedicatory monument from one of the earlier phases of the 10L-16 temple constructed to honor K'inich Yax K'uk' Mo'. It bears the date of AD&nbsp;437 and the names both K'inich Yax K'uk' Mo' and K'inich Popol Hol, together with a possible mention of the Teotihuacan general Siyaj K'ak'. The monument has not been completely deciphered and its style and phrasing are unusual.<ref name="Martin & Grube 2000, p. 196"/> Originally it was used as a sculpted bench or step and the date on the monument is associated with the dedication of a funerary temple or a tomb, probably the tomb of K'inich' Yax K'uk' Mo', which was discovered underneath the same structure.<ref name="Sharer & Traxler 2006, p. 344"/>

'''Stela 2''' was erected in the Great Plaza by Smoke Imix in AD&nbsp;652.<ref name="Martin & Grube 2000, p. 201"/>

'''Stela 3''' is another stela erected  by Smoke Imix in the Great Plaza in AD&nbsp;652.<ref name="Martin & Grube 2000, p. 201"/>

'''Stela 4''' was erected by Uaxaclajuun Ub'aah K'awiil in the early 8th&nbsp;century AD.<ref name="Martin & Grube 2000, p. 203"/>

'''Stela 7''' dates to the reign of K'ak' Chan Yopaat, and was erected to celebrate the [[K'atun]]-ending ceremony of AD&nbsp;613. It was found in the western complex now underneath the modern village of Copán Ruinas. It bears a long hieroglyphic text that has been only partially deciphered.<ref name="Martin & Grube 2000, p. 200">{{harvnb|Martin|Grube|2000|p=200}}.</ref>

'''Stela 9''' was found in the modern village of Copán Ruinas, where it had been erected on the site of a major Classic period complex {{convert|1.6|km|mi|0|sp=us}} outside of the site core. It was dedicated by Moon Jaguar and dates to AD&nbsp;564.<ref name="Martin & Grube 2000, p. 198"/>

'''Stela 10''' was erected outside of the site core by Smoke Imix in AD&nbsp;652.<ref name="Martin & Grube 2000, p. 201"/>

'''Stela 11''' was originally an interior column from Temple 18, the funerary shrine of Yax Pasaj Chan Yopaat. When it was found, it was broken in two parts at the base of the temple. It portrays the king as the elderly [[Maya maize god]] and has imagery that seems to deliberately parallel the tomb lid of the Palenque king [[K'inich Janaab' Pakal]], probably because of Yax Pasaj Chan Yopaat's close family ties to that city. The text of the column formed part of a longer text carved onto the interior walls of the temple and may describe the downfall of the Copán dynasty.<ref name="Martin & Grube 2000, p. 212"/>

'''Stela 12''' was erected outside of the site core by Smoke Imix in AD&nbsp;652.<ref name="Martin & Grube 2000, p. 201"/>

'''Stela 13''' was erected outside the site core by Smoke Imix in AD&nbsp;652.<ref name="Martin & Grube 2000, p. 201"/>

'''Stela 15''' is dated to AD&nbsp;524, during the reign of B'alam Nehn. Its sculpture consists entirely of hieroglyphic text, which mentions that king B'alam Nehn was ruling the city by AD&nbsp;504.<ref name="Martin & Grube 2000, p. 197"/>

'''Stela 17''' dates to AD&nbsp;554, during the reign of Moon Jaguar. It originally stood in the nearby village of Copán Ruinas, which was a major complex in the Classic period.<ref name="Martin & Grube 2000, p. 198"/>

'''Stela 18''' is a fragment of a monument bearing the name of K'inich Popol Hol. It was erected in the inner chamber of the 10L-26 temple.{{sfn|Martin|Grube|2000|pp=194–196}}

'''Stela 19''' is a monument erected outside of the site core by Smoke Imix in AD&nbsp;652.<ref name="Martin & Grube 2000, p. 201"/>

'''Stela 63''' was dedicated by K'inich Popol Hol. Its sculpture consists purely of finely carved hieroglyphic texts and it is possible that it was originally commissioned by K'inich Yax K'uk' Mo' with additional texts added to the sides of the monument by his son. The text contains the same date in AD&nbsp;435 that appears on the Motmot Capstone. Stela&nbsp;63 was deliberately broken, together with its hieroglyphic step, during the ritual demolishing of the Papagayo phase of Temple 26. The remains of the monuments were then interred in the building before the next phase was built.{{sfn|Martin|Grube|2000|pp=194, 202}}

'''Stela A''' was erected in 731 by Uaxaclajuun Ub'aah K'awiil. It places his rulership among the four most powerful kingdoms in the Maya region, alongside Palenque, Tikal and Calakmul.<ref name="Martin & Grube 2000, p. 203"/>

'''Stela B''' was erected by Uaxaclajuun Ub'aah K'awiil in the early 8th&nbsp;century AD.<ref name="Martin & Grube 2000, p. 203"/>

'''Stela C''' was erected by Uaxaclajuun Ub'aah K'awiil in the early 8th&nbsp;century AD.<ref name="Martin & Grube 2000, p. 203"/>

'''Stela D''' was erected by Uaxaclajuun Ub'aah K'awiil in the early 8th&nbsp;century AD.<ref name="Martin & Grube 2000, p. 203"/>

'''Stela F''' was erected by Uaxaclajuun Ub'aah K'awiil in the early 8th&nbsp;century AD.<ref name="Martin & Grube 2000, p. 203"/>

'''Stela H''' was erected by Uaxaclajuun Ub'aah K'awiil in the early 8th&nbsp;century AD.<ref name="Martin & Grube 2000, p. 203"/>

'''Stela J''' was erected by Uaxaclajuun Ub'aah K'awiil in AD&nbsp;702 and was his first monument. It stood at the eastern entrance to the city and is unusual in being topped by a sculpted stone roof, converting the monument into a symbolic house. It bears a hieroglyphic text that is woven into a criss-cross mat design to form a convoluted puzzle that must be read in precisely the right order to be understood.<ref name="Martin & Grube 2000, p. 203"/>

'''Stela M''' bears a portrait of K'ak' Yipyaj Chan K'awiil. It was raised at the foot of the Hieroglyphic Stairway of Temple&nbsp;26 in AD&nbsp;756.<ref name="Martin & Grube 2000, p. 203"/>

'''Stela N''' was dedicated by K'ak' Yipyaj Chan K'awiil in AD&nbsp;761 and placed at the foot of the steps to Temple&nbsp;11, which is believed to contain his burial.<ref name="Martin & Grube 2000, p. 208"/>

'''Stela P''' was originally erected in an unknown location and was later moved to the West Court of the Acropolis. It bears a long hieroglyphic text that has not yet been fully deciphered. It dates from the reign of king K'ak' Chan Yopaat and was dedicated in AD&nbsp;623.<ref name="Martin & Grube 2000, p. 200"/>