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

yard about six hundred feet TO the river NJ ie
If commencement The greater portion OF the wan 10
s.s ,hough much covered with vegetation, and most
&c tba nor,;ons Frustrated covered with trees OF g
nant;c size The circumference OF the whole IS ABOUT
300 feet Within this wall are many statues, a''a'S
and pyramids made Of the same species OF se'as'o"'
and very deliberately sculptured Inc pyrahnos . uie
about fourteen feet high, and about three ieet at te
base and the sculutures which in very bold reei'
are human firure on side, and rows oi shui's'
araLesoue or tracery in foliage anc hierogyP"e' m
the other three. The human hgures oeai : 49,
resemblance TO the present Indian inhao'tan's
the proportions distorted, probably lot .ns ph in
of mpartinp terrific aspect The drapery - tne %
Of leopard or rather of the aguar, stu iouno u. ~.
country and the head dress, which Is very eieoo. W
consists of feathers leaves and flowers Each cure "
in standing posture, and holds rod or hasa
mened with leaves and feathers. Before each - I
nyram;da structures. was a stone, probably an altar
about four feet square and three feet high
on the sides with rows of skulls, tracery ana nieIo
glyphcs and cut in grooves the top, probably 20 &c.
off the blood of victims. The hlefogyphlcs' "h'."
Mr. Catherwood pronounces to be diiereh. from ~, ,.e
Egyptian are ernriy like them in principle, though o'i
ferent in detail They are representations OF natural
Objects as the sun, moon, human iaces, human nahus'
sometimes singly sometimes IN combinations Du' =.
tracing resemblance to Egyptian remains we 10 not
imply what MIR. Catherwood seems to think, lhal the
ancient Egyptians and the founders of these
had common origin for, we believe the Two people De-
longed to totally different
The views next described were those OF Santa ITh.
del Qucha, still further in the interior OF Mexico, ana
consisting of palace and fortress. he SAID that
this city Of great extent; but We know mol
how this is ascerained, the houses have totally dis
appeared if any existed, and nothing remains but
these two ruins The fortress, guarding the entrance
to the palace and built of hewn stone surrounded by
ditch about thirty feet wide, and accessible by mar
causeway. The palace is surrounded by stone
wall inclosinp an area Of about thousand feet ana
covered with paintings Of various animals, upon stucco
In the centre Of this building about forty eet
square at the base, twelve at the summit, ana ABOUT
thirty feet high accessible one side only ny ight
Of steps The other sides were covered with stucco,
Of which the remains are visible On the summit
are remains Of batement wall which surrounded
the platform. The walls of the palace are covered
with stucco and surrounded By cornice OF very ella
borate tracery and among the paints used black, whe
red, yellow and green still discernible.
Their next visit was to Jueque Toncngo, winch they
reached after journey of several days, and where they
found pyramids, and caves or sepulchres SupPos.ng
the pyramids to contain chambers, they attempted TO
penetrate one and found it of solid stone and mortar
In of the sepulcres stone caves they fohhd Sc
veral small vases of cad, or burnt earth; OF IN
plain English, of brown earthenware like the ancient
Etruscan vases Mr.. Catherwood exhibited one shaped
some what like skillet without handle, holding about
quarts, and standing upon four legs, each ABOUT
Two inches long, ornamented in front with the face OF
a dog, very nicely wrought, and apparently moulded
The sepulchres too small to contain hody al
full length and in were the remains OF skeleton
which had been doubled or bent On the outside and
inside of the the remains of painted orna-
mcn.s, and each was bordered with moulded rcpresen-
tatcns of foliage and fruits Of the grape.
(From ne sane.)
AMERICAN AsTIQUITIEs-[ Lectures OF MIR. Ste
phcns and Mr.. Catherwood III the Stnyvesant lnstI-
tute, New York, continued They went next to
Ocosingo, where they encountered some difficulties
from the jealousy of the Indians. Here they found
structure raised upon The summit Of FIVE spacious ter
races Each terrace is about seven feet hg and the
platforms Of the four first about ten feet wide On
The summit is pyramid, about fifty feet IN front ana
thirty. five in Depth with doors ten feet wide Over
the doors were ornaments in succu, resembling the
winged globe upon the ruins OF Egypt; and the I'M
tells of all The doors among thee runs were oi WOOD
of which remain, and are as hard as nghnmVn@'
These doors led to ante chamber or gallery, with
in which was another door, obstructed with rubbish,
consisting of the hard wood and fallen stones.
Within this door they found court yard, eighty feet
long and seventy wide, accessible by descending steps
about thirty feet wic nrked by nine figures IN stone
each about thirteen feet high. Opposite 10 these steps
is another flight similar, ilanked with similar hgnres
This court is surrounded with stone piers, cover
ed with ornaments in succo, painted, OF elaborate
execution, some consisting OF single hSures ana
Others of groups. One Of these ornaments sa human
figure standing holding rod or staff about as long as
the person. one end of which the ground, and the
other surnoun,ed with leaves and flowers. The figure
wears q eopards skin about the waist, necklace and
ornament, over the shoulders, and an elaborate and
complicated head dress of feathers, leaves and flowers
II its feet are two human figures in sitting posture,
with the heads bowed, apparently IN suppi'caton:
Their bodies are naked, but their heads are covered
with caps, apparently of foliage, much less complicated
than that Of the principal figure. The BODIES are paint
ed red MS is the with all figures OF human hodies
among these rooms which painted at all and the
features ms well as the compile xion manltest!y In
dian Within tins court another surrounded by
piers and cornce like the first, about eighty feet
long by thirty wide, accessible by descending steps
The piers are ornamented like the other Within tins
court is tower about thirty feet square, and forty feet
high accessible by stone staircase Near this tower,
within the building surrounding the court, narrow
chamber about seventy feet long, within which IS a
tablet, richly sculptured with foliage Passing from
this BY descending steps, they reached three CHAMBERS
extending along the whole breadth Of the building,
very dark without any ornaments but stone
tables about six seven feet long In small cham
ber probably private chapel, was stone resembling
an altar. The remaining rooms, which were nune-
rous richly scupured or ornamented with slucco'
and painted in some instances the paintings repre-
senting FIVE different subjects above the other.
The next place visited by the travellers Polen-
que, the great object of their journey. These ruins
were first discovered, at least noticed, by the Spa
niards 1850, and the principal subjects OF Lord
publication upon American Ant'qu-
ties in 1928 Palenque is about one hundred miles
from the Gulf Of Mexico, in the Province of Chapas,
on the bank of small river range OF mountains,
and it's ruins are of larger dimensions than any which
they had previously visited The prlnc pal is palace
standing upon pyramidn or tefraced structure, ioo
feet long and go feet wide the base, and 60 feet
high. The building upon the summit is 800 feet long
and leo feet wide, the front on the east. This front
consists of 10 piers, feet high and feet wide, and
distant from each other feet forming doors Of the
same dimensions with the piers Above the piers, the
cornce wall rises about IL feet, making the whole
structure about 25 feet high. The roof is of the Cy-
copean order consisting of stones approaching each
other gradually the summit by the projection of each
superintendent for small portion Of its length
the one beneath it, and therefore totally different from
the arch Each pier is ornamen,ed with figures in
stucco, deliberately sculptured and painted gallery
or CORRIDOR feet wide between the piers and the inner
wall, and twenty feet high, extends all round the
building. Within the building is court or yard, so
feet long and 20 feet wide, accessible by descending
steps, anked by figures in stone, each Is feet high
This court is surrounded by piers, each ornamented
with figures in stucco, like the outer piers OF the build
ing. Some Of these figures are like those described in