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pn- A the very beginning of our study
<*PM • »■ ted onrseives “oufrocted with a
grate eifirulty tamely the entire absence of
aboriginal tradition concerning the place.
• fc b eouawqia*t.'3y render* a reconstruction
af (be tasternal background impossible In
\ is’. »e mere able to piece together sotne
• l.' o' tb <sri) L.» 'ey of (be prtn :pal cities.
> t a* *”t bet. Itaa and Yamal, from 'be ac
■ in <4 mo it- sell as Spuulsb writers.
• - • <4 wb.-sa de cited their it: formation troin
n - »«H nrqualPted wrh the former h story
of 'be country And while this Information is
4i»•» quite fragmentary. ncverrheloaa ft sheds
• sec . . nsiderable l.ghi on he pre-Otitimblcn
t.'Uey of ta<c» two ®cthorn sites, and in a
Bscis r* a' teats dispels that darkness and
!*• > which no ccwepfely entbrands al
l a t *htc great centers of the Maya
eafttwf*
f vt <. rats t ’-he former history of Yoi<en.
boost. we kn « abac -te.y nothing. < xeept ■
t f (be •■•nditaon of very d ubtfc! value given
b ’ » !b tbc; or thecenhont. DS“go Garcia
fle Kala> . a. an «d6< ill of the Audencia of Gua
ter_i_. ' - ted the*, ruins and later described
'be* a . rtter ru Ht* p li the then king of
15*011 Is tbi* eomauinicatton. alter a de
srrtj cn *4 the d;3et« nt t. Idlag* he says he
endmesmi to aseenslB who the former in
habitants of (be Hty were
*T endow’«rad with all passible care to aa
^ certai* from the Indians through the tradi
tsons derived 'rorn the ancient*, what people
tsved hoc, or what *b«y knew or had h, ard
froqs -beir ancestors concerting them But
hey bod bo boohs relating to tbetr antiquities,
nos to I b :*ete tha> In all this district there
is more th-a at, which 1 possess They say
that ia ancient times there came from Yuca
tan a g*wnt lord who built these ediAres. but
that as tb, ene of soma year* he returned to
bis u .« country ienving them entirely de*
sorted "
rnfortunately. 'he reliability of this tradi
txm is dtepruwsd by too many different lines
■f evidence to permit our accepting it. In the
•rst place the mructures at Copan are far too
numerous and massive to have been buiH
wt-hin the span of a single tfe: and its eiab
ornlely sculptured monuments are far loo in
tties', to have k« carved in one generation
w ith the tool* available Had that “G -«et lord
from Yucatan* lived twice the allowed three
scone yean and ton. his life. <*en then, could
not have embraced one-fourth of the period of
building activity at Copan.
Again, as we shall see, the hieroglyphic in
scriptions at Copan indicate that it was far
older than any of the Yucatan sites, and that
it probably had been abandoned many years
before the rise of the great northern cities.
Still another reason for doubting that Copan
was colonized from Yucatan arise when we ex
amine the historical data bearing on each. All
the early writers native as well as Spanish,
with the exception of Palacio. above quoted,
pas> over the great southern metropolis in ab
solute silence: but when they come to describe
\ ucatan nearly ail of them mention the two
largest of the ancient cities there, Chichen
Itza and 1'xmal. and In some instances even
aiv« brief outlines of their history
The striking absence of tradition relating
to such an extensive site as Copan can only •
Indicate one thing—that its fall and subse
quent desolation bad outlived the memory of
man even at the time of the Spanish Conquest
:n 1 and a generation later, when Palacio
visited the place, it had been forgotten so long
that he was unable to find out anything about
its former history except the very dubious tra
dition given above.
The ruins are more easily reached today
from Gautemala than from Honduras, in which
latter Republic they are located. One leaves
the Guatemala Northern railroad at Zacapa,
and either by horseback or carl, journeys east
ward lor two days, stopping overnight at Jaco
tan The actual distance traveled cannot be
more than 35 or 40 miles at the outside, but
the road is so rough and winds through coun
try so mountainous that It takes two days to
reach he ruins after leaving the railroad. The
modern village of Copan. where one can secure
accommodations of a sort, is about three-quar
ters of a mile from the main group of ruins.
It is built over a part of the site of the ancient
city, and has two beautifully sculptured altars
standing in the plaza under a large tree. Sev
eral other sculptural monuments are to be
found in various pigsties and chicken yards
throughout the village, and there is another
group of two or three, a short distance to the
northwest in the "campo eann/* or burying
ground.
Taking the path, leading to the east from the
village, a fifteen minutes' walk brings one to
the entrance on the west side of the Great
Plaza, the largest and doubtless the most im
portant court in the city. This imposing area.
some ::00 feet long by 250 wide, is surrounded
on three sides by a terrace 10 to 15 feet high.
The interior sides of this are stepped so that
standing in the center of the plaza the effect is
that of a sunken conn surrounded on all sides
but one. with tiers of stone seats or benches.
The southern or open side is occupied by a
small pyramid about 20 feet high, which,
standing midway between the ends of the ter
race. appears to inclose the area. This pyra
mid, because of its central position with refer
ence to the Great Plaza, must have been a
much more important structure than its 6ize
would now seem to indicate. Standing on its
Eummn ana loosing nortnwara. a great open
air auditorium lies at one's feet. Tier upon
tier of stone benches rising around its sides,
and five great monumental states, posted
like gigantic sentinels guarding its sacred pre
cints.
This mound, so conspicuously located on the
open side of the Great Plaza, attracted the at
tention of the English traveler and archaelol
ogist. Mr. A. P. Mauds lay, who visited Copan
in 1885. spending several months there in pho
tograhping and making molds of the sculptures
and in studying the ruins. He cleared its
sides and excavated It. The summit, he says,
is very small, and shows no signs of any build
ing ever having stood there. Digging through
the floor he sank a shaft into the interior of
the pyramid and found at a depth of six feet
from the top an earthen pot which contained
several jade beads, a few pearls, a jade spin
dle whorl, perforated disk, and some roughly
tarved pieces of pearl shell. The bottom of
the pot was covered with some finely ground
cinnabar and several ounces of quick silver.
Fragments of human bones were taken out
during the course of these excavations and.
finally, at a depth of nine feet below the level
of the plain, a skeleton of a jaguar was un
covered.
The use of this pyramid without a building
of any kind surmounting It must forever re
main a mystery. Perhaps here in full view of the
assembled inhabitants of the ancient city were
practiced the bloody rites of human sacriflec:
or perhaps the decrees of rules or the omens
from above were handed down. Who can say
now? One thing alone seems reasonably cer
tain; the close proximity and commanding
relation of this pyramid to such a vast open
air auditorium as the Great Plaza Indicates
that it formerly played some very Important
part in the life of Copan.
The most interesting feature of the Great
Plaza, however, is not this pyramid, but the
great sculptured monuments, whfch are scat
tered here and there around the inclosure. Of
these, five are now standing and three lie pros
trate. They average not far from 12 feet in
height and are about 3V4 feet in breadth. The
general treatment of them all is much the
same. The side facing the plaza is uniformly
sculptured with the likeness of a human be
ing sometimes cf one sex and sometimes of
the other, carved in very high relief, which, in
places, amounts to sculpture in the round. The
clothing and headdresses of these figures are
exceedingly ornate.
The sides and backs of these monuments are
usually covered with hieroglyphics, though this
latter is not a constant feature. Near each one
of them, usually just in front, there is a smaller
block of stone, sometimes round and sometimes
square. These, because of their close connec
tion with the larger monuments, have been
called altars, and it is not unlikely that they I
may have served some such a purpose. They !
are elaborately sculptured with grotesque fig- I
ures and in some ca^es with hieroglyphics also.
Leaving the Great Plaza and its interesting
monuments behind, and proceeding southward
about 100 yards, we enter a narrow court 290 1
feet in length by 135 feet in width. This in
closure has been named "The Court of the
Hieroglyphic Stairway," because of its most re- 1
markable feature—an imposing flight of stairs j
ascending the pyramid at its southern end. This
stairway, including the elaborately sculptured
balustrades on each side, measures 33 feet in
width. Its steps, which average a foot in height. ;
have their vertical faces covered with hiero- !
glyphics.
This monumental stairway, rising steeply for .
SO feet, its steps ami balustrades elaborately
sculptured, and full-size human figures occupy
ing its center at regular intervals clear to the j
summit, must have presented in former times a
striking appearance and offered an effect but
little short of stupendous.
Ascending the steep slope which forms the
southeastern side of the court of the Hiero
glyphic Stairway, we find ourselves on the sum
mit of a broad terrace overlooking the Eastern
Court. This inclosure, though somewhat small
iabout 125 feet square), originally must have
been one of the most beautiful parts of the city,
judging from the elaborate sculptures now
strewing it in great profusion. On its south side
rises :he highest pyramid at Copan. the summit
112 feet above the level of the river. Across the
greater part of the western side extends a broad. j
rathe: low stairway, flanked by two life-sized j
rampant jaguars sculptured in high relief. This j
flight of steps leads to a broad terrace overlook
ing another court. The remaining sides of the |
Eastern Court are occupied by high terraces. j
which support a number of ruined structures.:
One of these on the northern terrace was exca- j
vated by Mr. Maudslay. who found there a beau
tiful interior doorway nine feet wide, over
which there is an elaborate frieze supported at j
Its ends by crouching human figures of heroic
size, the whole being carved in high relief al
most amounting to sculpture in the round.
The structures on the eastern and remain:ng
terrace have for the most part disappeared, their
destruction having been due to a change in
the course of the Copan river, which now
washes the exterior base of this terrace. This
cutting away of the great substructure of the
main group of buildings by the river is one
of the most interesting and at the same time
deplorable features at Copan. since ultimately, if :
not cheeked, it can mean nothing more nor less
than the total destruction of the city.
But this wholesale demolition is not being ac
ecmplished without its accompanying lesson in
archaeology. This great vertical wall, cut ty :
the river all along the eastern side of the main
group, is the largest cross-section of an arch-1
aeologieal site in the world. Here, like an open ‘
book, one may read the successive periods of
the city's growth. At different levels from the 1
hollows upward throughout the rubble hearting
of the substructure there are horizontal strata
of cut paving stones. These are the pavements
of different plazas dating from successive i
epochs of the city's history, and they clearly
demonstrate that the growth of Copan has been
gradual. As time passed and the population in
creased. newer and larger structures and plazas
were built to meet the needs of the growing
city. These constructions, as we see from the
cross-section of the substructure, were built di
rectly above the older ones. When it became
necessary to build a new plaza its rubble foun
dations were laid on the paving of the old plaza
which it was to replace, and thus the highest of ,
the substructure slowly increased. A careful
study of the floors of these successive plazas
would doubtless teach much as to the different
epochs of the city’s occupancy, and might even i
reveal important facts relative to its history
Before closing this description, it may not be |
out of place to explain here our reasons for hav- I
ing called Copan “The Mother City of the
Mayas." Briefly stated, it is because of the
greater antiquity of its hieroglyphic inscriptions
as compared with those of every other Maya
city now known. This greater age of Copan is
indicated, not only by the actual dates recorded
in its earliest inscriptions, but also by a cruder
technique in their execution. I^ater. in the best
period of the southern Maya civilization, sculp
ture is found to be in very high relief or even in
the round, and is characterized by a great pro
fusion and elaboration of detail. Nothing of
this, however, appears In the earliest monu
ments at Copan. where the relief is so low that
it amounts to little more than Incised lines, the
sculptor apparently not feeling sure enough of
his technique to attempt anything more ambi
tious.
Aside from this question of technique, how
ever. the dates themselves recorded on these
more crudely sculptured monuments are much
earlier than those on the more elaborate ones.
The earliest historic date at Copan preceded the
earliest historic dates of all the other great
Maya cities by intervals ranging from 20 to 300
years, or. expressed In terms of Maya chronok.
ogy. from one to fifteen katuns, the Maya “ka
tun" being approximately equal to 20 of our own
years.
For these two reasons, then, the more primi
tive character of Us earliest monuments and
the actual priority of its earliest dates, we have
called Copsn “The Mother City of the Mayas”
Picked Berries
Fw< Van, ftatiac n the Lee re*
rrt<ar, tanI ue »tore a noise that be
at ftrei n»aart * a* made by a musk
**1. bat aa iaresccatioa It proved to
W a Me car*
■‘-* matched the fish for aoste min
ataa ail cay* that ato&c the ihore
acravb>riiaa fcuac o*er the aster a
trace (he sartaee. aad he ass car
bead out of the water and grabbing'
tfce bemea He watched the carp re
peat the operation half a dozen times.
He then tried his bait and succeeded
in booking the fish, but had to shoot
It before be could land it. The carp
weighed 32 pounds.
Death and birth are two boundaries.
Beyond these boundaries there Is an
identical something.
Hcpe.
"When I come home tonight,” said
Tommy's father, after Tommy had,
while in a temper, upset the milk on
the clean tablecloth, “I shall punish
you.”
"Gee,” said Tommy along about
noon, “I hope they'll give dad a raise
to< sy.”
“Why do you want him to get a
raise?” the boy’s mother asked.
"He always seems to be so kind and
cheerful for about a week after he
gets a -raise ”
Cats to Be Taxed in Munich
Though the taxation of cats has
been discussed for some time in Ber
lin. the drastic step has been averted.
Munich, however, has decided to put
the threat into operation and a charge
of five marks per cat per annum is to
be made in the Bavarian capital. It is
not. in the first place, as a source of
revenue that the tax is to he imposed,
for ostensibly the purposes sought are
the public health and the protection
of singing birds. Whatever the cause
puss is to be the object of the tax
collectors- energies and must hence
forth wear the badge of authority or
fall into the ruthless hands of the cat
catchers, a corps to be formed to en
force the new decree at its inception.
There are man who Wound like pure
gold, and then there are others who
BMkaa aoiae like braaa.
The Change of Life is the most critical period of a
woman’s existence, and neglect of health at this time
invites disease.
Women everywhere should remember that there is no
other remedy known to medicine that will so successfully
carry women through this trying period as Lydia E.
Pinkham’s Vegetable Compound, made from native roots
and herbs. Here is proof:
naucK, mass.,—-1 cannot express wnat l
! went through during tlse Change of Life before
I tried Lydia E. Pink ham’s Vegetable Com
pound. I was in such a nervous condition 1
§; could not keep still. My limbs were cold. I
|; had creepy sensations and could not sleep
|j nights. 1 was iinally told by two physicians
| that I had a tumor.
b “I read one dry of the wonderful cures made
Syby Lydia E. Pinkham’s Vegetable Compound
jand decided to try it, and it bas made me a well
Jwoman. My neighbors and friends declare it
has worked a miracle for me. Lydia E. Pinkbam’s Vegetable
Compound is worth its weight in gold for women during this
period of life. If it will help others you may publish this
letter.*’—ilrs. Nathan 15. Greaton. 51 No. Main St., Natick,Mass.
r ■■ ■ _ i' ■ ■.
AX OTHER SXHILAR CASE.
Corn wallvi lie, X. T.—“I bare been taking
Lydia E. Pinkham’s Vegetable Compound for
some time for Change of Life, nervousness, and
a fibroid growth.
“ Two doctors advised me to go to the
hospital, but one day while I was away visiting,
I met a woman who told me to take Lydia E.
Pinkham’s Vegetable Compo und. I did so and I
know it helped me wonderfully. I am very
thankful that I was told to try Lydia E.
hinknams \egetaoie compound. —airs. Yl m. Houghton,
Cornwallville, X. Y, Greene Co.
The makers of Lydia E. Pinkham’s Vegetable Com
pound have thousands of such letters as those above —
they tel} the truth, else they could not have been obtained
for love or money. This medicine is no stranger — it has
stood the test for years.
For 30 years Lydia E. Pinkham’s Vegetable
Compound has been tlic standard remedy for
female ills. No sick woman does justice to
herself who will not try this famous medicine.
Made exclusively from roots and herbs, and
has thousands of cures to its credit.
fetfo Mrs. Pinkham invites all sick women
to write her for advice. She has
guided thousands to health free of charge.
Address Mrs. Pinkham, Lynn, Mass.
■ ™
Milady Who Is Particular Insists
on Having Nothing But
Defiance Starch
for dresses, skirts, petticoats, etc.
Defiance produces a finish and
freshness impossible with any
other starch.
The Best Hot or Cold Water
Starch Ever Made. One Trial
Will Soon Convince You.
Big 16-ounce package for
10 cents; only 12 ounces for
same price of any other kind.
_ Not Best Because it Is
Cheapest, But Cheapest
t Because it Is Best.
i
Manufactured by
Defiance Starch Co.
OMAHA, NEBRASKA _
"My Pa hat lots of shirt to show.
He says that that’s all right
As long as Ma has Faultless Starch.
To .keep his shirts so white."
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