Living in Copán Ruinas

The Basics

Teachers meet up in the Parque Central

Copán Ruinas is a small town of under 10,000 (most estimates are in the 6,000 to 8,000 range) about 12km from the Guatemalan border. Most teachers agree that this is a nice place to live, particularly for Central America: small enough to be safe, large enough and touristed enough to offer a lot.

It is quite mountainous here, and there are banana, palm, and orange trees everywhere, among many other flora and fauna. Because Copán’s economic heart is tourism, it is used to hosting international visitors. The core of the town is the Parque Central, and the main streets and commercial center radiate out from the park. Streets in the center of town are paved with cobblestones, and several blocks away may drop to dirt roads filled with horses, chickens, other livestock, not to mention corn fields.

This is by and large a rural, agricultural area that enjoys international status thanks to the Mayan archaeological site nearby. Copán is comparatively wealthier than its much rural neighbors, where the standard of living may be mud buildings with no plumbing or electricity. Although Copán has running water and electricity, there are frequent outages of both. Water from the tap comes from the river and is not drinkable (for this, you buy 5 gallon jugs of water for L20/$1). Hot water will come from an electric heater in your shower only, and your stove will run on gas canisters (delivered) or electricity.

Because Copán is so small, as an outsider here, people around town will know who you are even before you meet them. Families here are tightly-knit and interconnected, and news travels quickly from person to person. There are no street addresses in Copán, but you can direct someone to your house by giving your neighborhood and the landlord’s name; people will know exactly what you mean.

Volunteers can expect to find some but not all of the products and foodstuffs that they are used to in the United States and Canada in Copán, but imported food, beauty, and clothing products may be scarcer, more expensive, and of lower quality. In most parts of Honduras, however, American toiletries, snack foods, and dietary staples may not be available at all. We highly recommend you bring favorite foods and toiletries with you, not to mention specialized medicines. Local fruit, vegetables, and staples like cornmeal, rice, beans, tortillas, and baleadas are much easier and cheaper to come by. The large fruit and vegetable market, supermarket, main hotels and restaurants, post office, and government buildings are located near the Park, and every street has tiendas and pulperias that sell basic items like soap, snack foods, cereals, eggs, and milk.

The Mayan archaeological site that has made Copán famous is about 1.5 km from the Park. In addition to being a center for tourism, downtown Copán is also the commercial center for the numerous aldeas (small, remote farming villages) outside of town, which are part of the municipality, and it teems on weekends and on holidays. There is a yearly conference in town that brings in numerous people, and tourist attractions include butterfly and bird parks. Adventurous volunteers and visitors can find plenty of hiking, mountain climbing, waterfalls, hot springs, horseback riding, and other outdoor activities near Copán. Getting around in Central America is slow, but volunteers can visit lakes, the beach, and other sites on long weekends and breaks.

Gallery: Life as a Teacher

Political Stability

Although there was a political crisis in the summer of 2009, the federal government of Honduras is stable and the United States has placed no travel restrictions on Honduras. A democratically elected government was installed in January of 2010, and international relations are improving. Although the coup left Copán largely untouched in most respects, the resulting drop in tourism damaged the economy severely.

The Community

Mayatan Bilingual School serves the neighboring community of Santa Rita (about 8 miles away) as well as Copán Ruinas. We also have a few students from outlying aldeas as far as 3 miles out of town, which is a hike on inaccessible roads. Relations with the town are good. A significant number of the town's citizens are, of course, parents of students. Our teachers sometimes do volunteer work in the community, and our secondary school students serve as translators for medical brigades that come to Copán Ruinas to put on medical clinics in the town and in outlying aldeas.

Safety

It is important to neither overestimate nor underestimate the safety risks of living and working in Honduras. We advise applicants to do their homework to make informed decisions about living and working in Honduras. Although the town of Copán is generally safe, Honduras has received a lot of negative attention in the world press recently for security issues. In 2012, the Peace Corps pulled all of its volunteers out of Honduras without pointing to a specific cause; however, there had been assaults on Peace Corps volunteers in other parts of the country, most often on 3rd class chicken buses. None of these attacks occurred in Copán Ruinas, but when the Peace Corps makes decisions it does so on a country-wide basis, not city by city. The main security problems in the country tend to be political corruption and narcotrafficking-related. Those who are not involved in narcotrafficking and corruption are not targeted, and tourists have not been targeted. Everyone at the school believes that the climate is safe enough and the school mission is important enough to continue working here; we have not had volunteers leave due to safety concerns to date.

Copán Ruinas is a safe community--usually an island or bubble from the rest of the country. It is normal for women and children to walk around town and the Central Park in the evening hours after the sun goes down. Moto taxis are cheap and run until about 11:00 p.m. Copán also has tourist police who maintain a presence. The streets of Copán Ruinas are well lit (except when the power fails), and as long as you are smart about where you go, you should have no problems. Like many Central American border towns, there are areas that should be avoided, and these are not the parts of our teachers' daily experiences. It is always advisable here, as in any foreign country, to travel in groups, particularly when hiking, traveling, or going out at night.

Social Activities

Copán has a limited nightlife thanks to the influx of tourists and restaurants and bars that cater to their needs. There are also venues that are frequented mostly or exclusively by locals. There is a good selection of Honduran and some American and international-style food to be found at restaurants in and around town, including pizza, burgers, fried chicken, and Chinese food. The most popular hang out spots change frequently.

The local cable TV has a few channels in English (including CNN) or in Spanish with English subtitles, and the pizzeria in town boasts direct TV with all the big sporting events broadcast for the crowd. Occasionally, bars and restaurants will offer DJs, live music, or karaoke, and one restaurant, Via Via, screens movies regularly for L20.

Studying Spanish

For formal instruction in the language, there are two Spanish schools which offer one-on-one teaching to Mayatan teachers at discounted rates (L100 for an hour of teaching at Guacamaya). Many teachers also make private arrangements with Spanish teachers or exchange Spanish lessons for English.

Climate

The weather is warm year round, although in the winter, the temperature may drop into the 50s for a few days. Bringing a light jacket or sweatshirt is usually a good idea. You will need an umbrella for the rainy season, which lasts from June into November. (The rainy season is called winter here, though it aligns with summer and fall in the United States.) During the rainy season, it rains every day, often in the morning or late afternoon, though it does not usually rain all day long. The bulk of the year is quite comfortable, temperature-wise. It is very hot, dry, and dusty around April.

Because Honduras is much closer to the equator than anywhere in the United States, Canada, or Europe, the day length does not vary much throughout the year, as it does in those countries. There are no long summer days or short winter days, and the sun usually rises and sets between five and six o’clock each day.

Immunizations and Health

Honduras has no immunization requirement, and Copán is outside of malarial zones.

Many travelers choose to get immunizations for diseases like hepatitis A and B. Talk with your doctor at home before departing to find out what is right for you. Note that hepatitis immunizations and other vaccines sometimes require 2-3 appointments over a 6-month period. Plan accordingly.

Bring a supply of any specialized medicines with you (including birth control), and we recommend a supply of contacts or a backup of your glasses. Women may want to bring tampons, as these are hard to find in Copán. (There are pads.)

Medical care like routine doctor's visits and dental cleanings can be cheap, starting around L100 ($5) without lab fees. Common medicines like antibacterials can be found readily at pharmacies, often without a prescription, and you will find many generic prescriptions there as well.