Discovered in 1570 by Diego García de Palacio, Copán is one of the most important remnant sites of the Mayan civilization. The vestiges of the city and the imposing public squares reveal the three main periods of its development, before the city was abandoned at the beginning of the ninth century A.D. The Plaza of the Hieroglyphic Staircase has a monumental staircase, one of the exceptional structures of the Mayan culture. On the 10-meter-wide steps, there are more than 1,250 individual glyphs, which constitute the longest known Mayan inscription. After the city was abandoned, it was swallowed by the jungle which helped its conservation.