000,000 cubic feet of stone must have been used for this structure. Next in interest to the main edifice are fourteen elaborately sculptured obelisks, one of which is presented as among the finest productions of native American art. They are from eleven to thirteen feet high, and before each stands an altar, clearly indicating their original use as idols. At Copan appear several samples of the ancient Maya hieroglyphics, which have not been interpreted. They may be seen on the side of the obelisk

even larger, though less elaborate, than those at Copan. Most of the Guatemalan ruins, however, belong to a different class and a more recent period, being

四

Sacred Inclosure-Honduras.

pictured. The sculpture was all executed without the aid of iron or steel implements. Some early Spanish writers mention an immense stone hammock here, suspended by pivots between two pillars. Mr. Bancroft's later authorities do not credit such reports, but a gentleman of San Francisco who is familiar with these ruins tells me he has seen this peculiar monument. Copan must be referred to the earliest period of American civilization which has left any traces of its existence.

Near by, but across the state line in Guatemala, there is a group of obelisks

Copan Obelisk, side view.

the remains of the cities occupied at the time of the conquest by the nations of the Quiché-Cakchiquel empire. Patinamit and Utatlan, formerly capitals of the leading nations, are most prominent; but little remains to be seen but irregular masses of fallen walls scattered over a ravine-guarded plateau, inaccessible save at one or two points. A copper medal found in this state has excited much discussion among antiquarians, who have vainly tried to decipher the meaning of its figures. The authenticity of this relic is, however, doubtful. There are several interesting groups of ruins in the lake district of Peten, but they are of the class to be noticed farther north on the peninsula,

Yucatan contains more ruined cities than any other part of America. It has been by no means fully explored, yet at least sixty such cities have been des

magnificent structures. The building material is a rubble of rough stones and mortar, faced with blocks of hewn stone. The buildings stand on pyramidal terraced bases, are long and low with flat roofs, and are usually divided into two parallel rows of rooms. The arrangement of the rooms and method of construction is made clear by the annexed cross-section and ground-plan of the Casa del Gobernador at Uxmal. The ceiling is always formed by overlapping blocks, beveled at the corners so as to

Uxmal Palace, section.

cribed, some of them

containing the most

Uxmal Palace, plan.

they were fixed in the walls. So varied are these decorations that only a drawing of each could give an idea of their nature. The cut shows part of a façade of the Casa de Monjas at Uxmal. All the fronts bear traces of having been originally painted in bright colors. Strangely enough, only very few idols or altars are found in this state, and the comparative absence of pottery and implements is equally remarkable. None of the cities of Yucatan are the work of an extinct race; a few date back to the ancient Maya empire, or nearly to the time of Christ; most were built within the three or four centuries preceding the conquest, and several were occupied when the Spaniards came. One of the most curious relics in this group is the Cara Gigantesca,about seven feet square, in the base of a pyramid at Izamal. It is rudely formed of rough stones and perfected with stucco.

Farther westward in Chiapas stands the famous Palenque, probably the most ancient American ruin. Its buildings, like those on the peninsula, are long, low, and narrow, standing on pyramidal

in their regular columns a most interesting historic tale. No idols have been found, nor weapons; and both implements and pottery are of very rare occurrence. The finest piece of work at Palenque, if not in all aboriginal America, is the stucco tablet known as "The Beau Relief," in one of the smaller temples. This city is evidently older than those of Yucatan, but was built by a kindred people. It was abandoned apparently long before the cities occupied in the sixteenth century were built.

Stucco Figures at Palenque. mentation instead of sculptured stone on the façades. Each of the spaces between the numerous door - ways bears a group of figures in stucco hard as stone, one of which groups is represented in the annexed cut. The resemblance of one of the head-dresses to an elephant's trunk is noticeable. Sculpture is never found on exterior walls, but on the interior sculptured hieroglyphic tablets are found, which doubtless hold locked up

Ococingo Idol.

Next to Palenque, Ococingo is the most remarkable ruin in Chiapas, having some claims to have been the ancient Tulan, the capital of the Toltec nations before they left Central America.

Of all its interesting monuments I have space for but one idol.

North of the isthmus, in Oajaca, there are grand ruins in the form of pyramids, fortresses, and temples, at Guiengola, Monte Alban, and Mitla, besides many