Cerro Chino
This is a relatively small, kidney-shaped, "flattopped" hill at the western extreme of the Copan alluvial pocket. It effectively serves as the boundary and divide between the rapidly growing modern town (to the west) and the northern foothills of the ancient city (to the east). Archaeologically, it is something of a peculiarity and a mystery: a dozen mounds line the edges of the hill, accentuating its perimeter, while a single mound is found in the center. This particular settlement pattern is indicative of not the Maya but the Lenca Indians, which, according to archaeologists (e.g., Kam Manahan, Marcello Canuto, and Allan Maca), is typically seen only in the interior of Honduras. Several Harvard University undergraduates conducted preliminary excavations on and around Cerro Chino in 1996 and 1997, the results of which minimally dated the hilltop settlement to the Early Classic period (AD 250-600). Canuto and Maca, however, reanalyzed this material in 1998 and discovered that there is evidence for considerably earlier occupations. (These data are discussed in Maca 2002.)