Santa Rita

Eight kilometers northeast of Copán Ruinas [1], on the highway to La Entrada [2], is the cobblestone village of Santa Rita, which was originally the main Spanish town in the area. Formerly, the village was named Cashapa, which means “sweet tortilla” in Chortí Maya. The last buses back to Copán Ruinas pass at around 5:30 p.m.

On the far side of the Río Copán from Santa Rita, a rough dirt road winds up over the mountains to the southeast, ending up in San Agustín, where rides can be found to Dulce Nombre de Copán and on to Santa Rosa de Copán [3].

The hike can be done in one day and passes along sections of the old camino real (royal road) and near the cloud forest of Monte Quetzal [4]. You can hitch part of the way with passing pickup trucks.