The expeditions of a NIU assistant anthropology professor have inspired plans for a spring break trip to the ruins of Copan, Honduras.

NIU’s anthropology department and the international and special programs department are finalizing plans for the trip on which William Fash will help interpret the ancient Mayan city.

Fash, director of the field school in Copan, has spent six to eight months in Copan each year for the past ten years and has recently been featured by National Geographic magazine. Fash said Copan is considered by scholars as the “Athens of the New World” due to its sculpture and architectural monuments.

Orville Jones, international and special programs assistant dean, said this is the third year NIU has sponsored the trip.

The expedition is open to students and faculty who register by Feb. 1. An $850 fee pays for roundtrip airfare between Chicago and San Pedro Sula, Honduras.

The fee also includes hotel accommodations, meals, transportation and sightseeing fees in Copan and San Pedro Sula.

Jones said only three of the 20 spaces are still available. More information can be obtained by contacting the office of international and special projects.