We entered the site and immediately met up with the Scarlet Macaws.  These birds are really cool and (I feel) are guardians of the site.  On our way out of the site in the afternoon, I photographed a couple cavorting in the trees above us.  And Adele had fun talking to them and feeding 1 of them.  Awesome birds.  And the stelae and sculptures at the entrance are nice too :-)

According to the sign at the entrance, the Scarlet Macaws appear everywhere in ancient Maya monuments.  And specifically, the Scarlet Macaw’s image is found everywhere at Copan, more than in other Mayan city.  The Mayans also used the Scarlet Macaw as a glyph in their writing system and to decorate the headdresses of the elite.  The Mayans traded the birds’ feathers among their cities.  The ancient Maya considered the Scarlet Macaw to be a sacred bird who represented the powerful Sun God, K’inich Ahau, in flight between the earth and heaven with its vibrant colors.  The founder of Copan’s Royal Dynasty, K’inich Yax K’uk’ Mo’ (English translation: “Great-Sun 1st Quetzal Macaw”) was named after the Scarlet Macaw and the Quetzal birds.  His tomb is covered with the temple “Margarita”, which has a stucco relief panel on the temple’s main facade representing a Scarlet Macaw and a Quetzal with their necks interlocked.