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Set splendidly in an isolated pocket of rainforest, surrounded by an ocean of banana trees, the ruins of Quirigua (daily 7.30am-5pm; US$4) may not be able to match the enormity of Tikal, but they do have some of the finest Maya carving anywhere. Only neighbouring Copan offers any competition to the magnificent stelae, altars and so-called "zoomorphs", covered in well-preserved and superbly intricate glyphs and portraits. The early history of Quirigua is still fairly vague, but during the Late Preclassic period (250 BC-300 AD) migrants from the north, possibly Putun Maya from the Yucatan peninsula, established themselves as rulers here. Later, in the Early Classic period (250-600 AD), the centre was dominated by Copan, just 50km away, and doubtless valued for its position on the banks of the Rio Motagua, an important trade route, and as a source of jade, which is found throughout the valley. It was the during the rule of the great leader Cauac Sky that Quirigua challenged Copan, captured its leader 18 Rabbit in 737, and was able to assert its independence and embark on an unprecedented building boom: the bulk of the great stelae date from this period. For a century Quirigua dominated the lower Motagua valley and its highly prized resources. Under Jade Sky , who took the throne in 790, Quirigua reached its peak, with fifty years of extensive building work, including a radical reconstruction of the acropolis. From the end of Jade Sky's rule, in the middle of the ninth century, the historical record fades out, as does the period of prosperity and power. Entering the site beneath the ever-dripping ceiba, jocote, palm and fig trees, you emerge at the northern end of the Great Plaza . To the left-hand side of the path from the ticket office and new site museum (due to open in the near future) is a badly ruined pyramid and, dominating the site at the southern end of the plaza, the untidy bulk of the acropolis . Liberally scattered amidst the luxuriant grass of the plaza are the finely carved stelae for which Quirigua is justly famous. The nine stelae in the plaza are the tallest in the Maya world (the largest; stela E, rises to a height of 8m and weighs 65 tons), while their sides are all similarly covered with glyphs and portraits of the city's rulers, with Cauac Sky depicted on no fewer than seven (A, C, D, E, F, H and J). Two unusual features are particularly clear: the vast headdresses, which dwarf the faces, and the beards. As you head down the path towards the acropolis you can just make out the remains of a ball court on your right, before you reach the other features that have earned Quirigua its fame. Squatting at the base of the ruined acropolis are the zoomorphs : six bizarre, globular-shaped blocks of stone carved with interlacing animal and human figures - look out for the turtle, frog and jaguar. The best of the lot is zoomorph P, which shows a figure seated in Buddha-like pose, interwoven with a maze of other detail.
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