Constructing heritage at Copan, Honduras: An ethnography of the archaeology industry

This study examines the ways that different interested communities derive meaning and value from the ancient Maya city of Copan in Honduras. As the most salient physical manifestation in Honduras of the renowned ancient Maya civilization, Copan provides an important symbolic anchor for contemporary Honduran identity. In economic terms, Copan is the second most popular tourist destination in Honduras, and a critical component of local and national development strategies. Copan is also one of the major centers for archaeological research in the Maya region and remains an important source of data for multiple generations of scholars. I use both an historical and ethnographic focus to understand how Copan has been transformed over time into a national monument, a major tourism attraction and an international hub of scientific research, and how these different identities allow groups to position themselves as stakeholders in the construction of heritage.; Historically, I trace the development of Copan as an archaeological attraction that has always been mutually constituted by the sometimes contradictory goals of science, nationalism and economic development. In the present I show how a wide range of individuals and institutions construct Copan through the operations of an "archaeology industry" which simultaneously produces the past in consumable form as science, entertainment, and symbolic nationalism for local and international audiences. The ways in which people participate in the archaeology industry, and their structural power within that industry, condition their individual conceptions of the site, which in turn, shape their claims to speak about, make decisions about, and guard access to the heritage they help construct. Through ethnographic analyses of contests over representation and management of the site, I demonstrate that everyday practices in the archaeology industry are caught up in local, national and transnational politics that have deep histories. These layered politics condition the ability of individuals and groups to participate in and shape decisions affecting Copan.