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Who we are
The Copan Association, located in Copan Ruinas, Honduras, is a non-profit organization that was founded in 1990
to protect and conserve the cultural and natural patrimonies of Honduras. It is a Honduran non-political institution
non profit organization wholly devoted to scientific studies. It's role is to protect the national patrimony of
Honduras.
Casa Yaxna
Barrio El Centro
Copan Ruinas, Honduras
Central America
( 504) 651 4103
Fax (504) 651 4625
Email ascopan@hondutel.hn
Contributions can be mailed to
Copan Association
Catherine Docter, Director
P. O. Box 2286
Santa Barbara, California 93120
805/966-1242 (non profit tax deductible)
Board of Directors
Jorge Bueso Arias, President
Angel Castillo Galo, Vice-President
Ricardo Agurcia F., Executive Director
Cristiana Nufio de Figueroa, Treasurer
Carolina Galeano, Secretary
Fernando Fiallos F., Fiscal
Vocales:
Mario Galeano B., Cesar Batres G., Marco Rietti
Vocales Suplentes
Vicente Williams, Gilberto Lagos, Angel Castillo Galo,
Ma. Antonieta Bogran, Rene Viel
Projects:
SCHOLARSHIPS: In the past Copan Association has awarded scholarships to two students from Copan Ruinas. They both
completed their studies with honors. Jorge Humberto Ramos completed his studies in archaeology at the Universidad
del Valle i Guatemala City where he obtained a grade point average of 90%. He has been awarded a Fulbright Scholarship
to pursue a Masters degree in anthropology. He also received a grant from the Ford-McArthur-Hewlett Fund. He will
study at the University of California in Riverside.
Currently he is taking an intensive course in English at the University of California i Santa Cruz. Aida Isabel
Cardona Lemus completed her high school education at the Intstituto Dr. Jesus Ordonez Ch. where she obtained a
degree in Hostelry & Tourism. Her GPA was 96%. Miss Cardona has received a scholarship from CASS (Cooperative
Association of State Scholarships). She will study Quality Control at Broom Community College i Binghamton, NY
during the year of August 1, 2000 through July 31, 2001.
THE SCULPTURE MUSEUM OF COPAN. The Copan Association
conceived, directed the design and procured the financing for the Sculpture Museum of Copan. In 1993 the president
of the Republic assigned the execution of the construction of the museum to the Copan Association. In compliance
with government policy, which follows the modern tendency to contract private organizations to administer certain
activities of public service, transportation, energy, postal work, and others, the Association completed the project
and proceeded to present pertinent reports, which were audited and closed at the end of the project. In 1995, the
Copan Association requested to be given the administration of the Sculpture Museum in Copan, planning to utilize
the funds raised to construct the remaining modules of the original design for the museum, which was approved by
the government in 1992. The proposal was denied. As a result of this decision, several monuments continue to be
exposed to the elements, which cause accelerated deterioration of these national treasurers. To date, the remaining
modules have not been completed and the monuments are daily being exposed to the deterioration caused by the elements.
The materialization of the Sculpture Museum in Copan was possible in great part because of continuous efforts and
scientific vocation of Mr. Ricardo Agurcia Fasquelle, Executive Director of the Copan Association.
REFORESTATION PROJECT Copan Association assisted in a local initiative to grow and plant 30,000 trees in and around
Copan Ruinas in the early part of 1999. Its aim is to educated local school children regarding the importance of
reforestation and enhance the natural surroundings. Local school children, with the help of Cerveceria Hondurena,
the Municipal Government and the Copan Association, have constructed a nursery and
planted over 30,000 seeds of various regional plants and trees. Many students are planning to plant seedlings along
the river to replace valuable vegetation lost in the floods caused by Hurricane Mitch. Similar reforestation projects
have been undertaken in other parts of the Country and hopefully the project will become em an ongoing annual activity
in the schools and the community. Copan Association established the JAE nature fund in 1996 to support the conservation
of the environment. The reforestation project is an example of the work being doe by the fund to work towards environmental
conservation.
SOUVENIR SHOP Loaded in the new cultural center in Copan Ruinas the shop has a nice selection of books on Mayan
archaeology, guide books for the ruins, great t-shirts, baseball caps and many other interesting handicraft items
typical of Honduras. They are showing two excellent films on a regular basis the National Geographic special "Lost
Kingdoms of the Maya and "History Carved in Stone". For a donation of $1 you can see both films. For
your groups private viewing can be arranged by calling or coming by our
office. The Copan Association uses all income from the shop exclusively for the projects of the Association.
CHILDREN'S MUSEUM The main objective of this project will be to educate visitors especially Honduran children about
the cultural and natural heritage of Copan and the delicate relationship between the two.This will be achieved
through the creation of an interactive learning center, or museum, where visitors will be exposed to scientifically
documented exhibits about the Ancient Maya Civilization t Copan, its history, and relationship to the surrounding
environment. It is expected that by raising the awareness of all visitors to the Maya experience they will understand
the consequences of environmental mismanagement. In addition the young visitors will learn to be part of the solution
to the extensive destruction that is taking place again, today. The exhibits will be designed to educate and challenge
the young minds.
RICARDO AGURCIA FASQUELLE Ricardo is the Executive Director of the Copan Association, which is a private, non-profit
organization dedicated to the research and conversation of the cultural and natural heritage of Honduras. Over
the past decade he has directed extensive field work at the monumental Maya Site of Copan i Western Honduras, where
he has served as Regional Coordinator of Archaeological Projects for the Government of Honduras and as well as
Co-Director of the Copan Acropolis Archaeological Project.
From 1982 to 1986, he held the post of Director of the Honduran Institute of Anthropology and History (IHAH), which
is the Governmental Agency in charge of the cultural patrimony of Honduras. He has published and lectured widely
in his own country as well as abroad and is best known for his articles in the October 1989 and September 1991
issues of National Geographic Magazine as well as his recent book "Secrets of two Maya Cities: Copan and Tikal"
which he co- authored with Guatemalan archaeologists Juan Antonio Valdes.
He holds degrees from Duke University (B.A.) and Tulane University (M.A.) and has taught at the National University
of Honduras (UNAH) as well as the University of San Pedro Sula (USPS). He is a member of the Board of Directors
of numerous centers dedicated to educational, cultural and scientific endeavors, and has also had substantial curatorial
experiences with the National Museum of Honduras, the Copan Sculpture Museum, the Copan Museum of Archaeology,
the Museum for San Pedro Sula and various
traveling exhibits. Ricardo has also done numerous international consulting on the management and preservation
of archaeological resources and is particularly well known for his views on site conservation and the rational
use of sites for tourism.
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