Community Tourism

The Copán Maya Foundation (tel. 504/2651-4103, www.copanmaya.org) is a far-reaching nonprofit organization that works in tandem with Copán Association (www.asociacioncopan.org), a Honduran nonprofit organization. Together they support research, archaeology, natural-resource management, and education in the area.

They helped establish the Copán Sculpture Museum, reforestation of the site, clean-water initiatives, and macaw-preservation efforts. They also facilitated the creation of the Casa K’inich Children’s Museum in Copán.

Online educational offerings include a bilingual teachers manual for the Casa K’inich Children’s Museum, lessons on the preservation of the scarlet macaw, and a bilingual “Manual de Monumentos de Copán.” Casa K’inich is always in need of patrons to help out with the upkeep of their projects.

Tours in 2012

Copán Connections (www.copanconnections.com) creates custom trips throughout Honduras. Or choose from a variety of tours, which will take you to the Copán ruins and beyond.

Hotel Packages

The temazcal, or Maya sweat lodge, is a purification ritual that uses the earth’s four elements: earth, air, water, and fire. Experience a temazcal in the middle of a Honduran coffee forest at Spa Ixchel (8 km south, Hacienda San Isidro, Copán Ruinas, tel. 504/9708-1584, www.spaixchel.com), 25 minutes from the Copán ruins. Named for the Maya fertility and moon goddess, Spa Ixchel offers a full range of therapies and spa services, plus healthy Honduran food. The spa offers a discount of 15 percent for 2012.

Seed of Light Holistic Services (tel. 504/9888-5057, www.seedoflightcopan.com) will host several special 2012 yoga retreats, wellness packages, and “healing vibrations,” all set in Copán Ruinas. Retreats serve individuals, small groups, group leaders, and “spiritual adventure seekers.”

Hacienda San Lucas (tel. 504/2651-4495, info [at] haciendasanlucas [dot] com, www.haciendasanlucas.com) is an eco-lodge in a 100-year-old ranch overlooking the ruins, which Yoga Journal says offered “a fusion of Mayan philosophy and Kripalu yoga.” The hotel will host yoga and meditation retreats—stoking up the temazcal, playing music, and visiting hot springs.