Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1841-05-21

high, accessible by about 90 steps. The interior NJ
building is richly ornamented, and contains inches =
which are tables covered with ornaments and ha
glyphics. Among these ornaments is cross bu, 49,,
no resemblance, says Mr. Catherwood, 10 the eros. !,
the Christians lie did not specify its difference H..
we cannot imagine any, since all crosses mus, resc
bic each oher excepting in two points, the anrle a.
which the bars cross each other, and The points of ,
tersection But if this cross consist of bars n,csa
inr at right angles and the point Of intersection b.
any distance above the centre of the perpeadicul,.
bar it must resemble the cross of the Christians Il
this place they dug up statue ten feet long, which
said, resemhled some Of the Egyptian statues in lis :.
neral proportions; which We can readily conceive .,
all statues of the human figure, which not mon.
strous, must have the same general proportions
Near the place wassa aqueduct which was y ;,er
high, feet WIDE and as far as they explored l. =
feet long, and large stream of very fine wa:e, va
still running through it. Near these structures wee
several smaller buildings, which were not mlna.aye,
amined; for the density of the forest, consisting .! III.
hogany india rubber and other trees, in which IL H.
ruins Of Paenque are embedded, renders eaplaratan
very difficult.
They next visited U1nai, in the Province of Yuc..
tam here the ruins extensive, and IN iurrabc Pc
servaton and different from those IN Pdienque AM
pan, in containing no statr"s, or bas rceis Like t-
other large ruins they consist Of structures built u5p
terraced pyramids, some of which 200 feet lon, j.
all of which are ornamented with soul ptures specne
of which was exhibited. twas human face, suroua:
ed with foliage and scroll work, cut in lmes;ol-
Mr. Catherwood said that they were wrought by ,co
pie not acquainted with iron, and who must have d.
tros Of copper, which they knew how 10 harden IN.
the reasons which he assigned for this opinion arc ts
that the Spaniards found copper, bu. not IRON, Il
among the Mexcans and that, whenever flint /.
pears in The scuptured limestone or sandstone, TX
untouched. At Quiragua they found many sia.s,
from l3 to &c feet high; and while Mr.. Cathef3t
was making his drawing at this place, Mr.. S'er,c,
proceeded along the Pacific shore TO Cosa Rca, ..st
the Isthmus of Panama, and returned by lend, d,
lance of twelve hundred miles, but without fndin, 4.
hearing of any ruins on this long journey As no SIN.
lar remains have yet been discovered North AmeTc,
Mexico Proper, Texas, and as Mr.. Stephens -four:
none south Of Quragua, Central America probial
the principal ofcivzation at the period when the.
gigantic structures were erected.
The first question presented to an lnqnrng mind,
whence came the people who founded these cities, j.
which these two travellers have already visited cst.
situated at great distances from each other Our ovt
opinion is, that they came from China We aiop:,
this opinion years since, upon first reading
scriptions Of the ruins at Palenque, and lind sbuat.a
confirmation Of it in the descriptions OF these two j.
ycllers