The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-07-21
MEXICAN ANTIQUITIES.
THEcoLLEcTloN RECENTLY PLACED
IN THE NATIONAL MUSEUM.

Abadiano's Casts of the More Valuable
Monuments of Aztec Civilization-The
Career of the Collector-The Gelatine
Process of Obtaining Casts.
One of the most recent collections that
have been placed in the museum IS the
Abadiano collection of Mexican antiquities
It consists of casts Of the larger and more
valuable monuments Of the Aztec clV1llZa-
ton and is without doubt the most valuable,
though not the largest collection that has
yet been made. 1t does not belong to the
Institution, as has been incorrectly stated,
but is only placed there by the owner in the
hope that some public-spirited citizen will
purchase and present it to the museum
The writer recently visited the museum
with a gentleman who accompanied
Abadiano in his journey to the ruins and as
sisted in taking the casts. Many interesting
facts were learned Of the struggles OF the
young antiquarian to advance the study Oh
the history of his native land and OF the life
Of its strange inhabitants when conquered
by Cortez Tine casts are splendid specimens
of art and bring out the characters en-
graved on the original stone beautifully.
Their value can hardly be over.estimated,
for if any thing more is ever to be learned or
The Aztecs it will have to come through
these seemingly voiceless monuments The
collection of manuscript words were nearly
all Of them destroyed by the Jealous priests
who accompanied the Spanish invader,
and thus the thread broken that
bound that nation to the history
of the world Many Of the monu-
ments were also destroyed, and some Of tho
casts in the museum show the marks of
axes handled by the hands of the 400 years
ago. The monuments are the mouthpieces
of the past, but their tongue is numbered
with the dead languages and they can not
talk. But it is possible that the key to the
hieroglyphics on their faces may yet be dis
covered and thus new link added to the
chain of history. There is already quite
respectable collection Of Mexican antiquities
in the museum, and it would be q grand
work to make casts Of them all and gather
them in one place so that men Of science
could study them, and in time come upon
the real theory of their meaning. This was
the idea Of Abadiano, but he did not receive
the encouragement he merited He spent
his fortune and has mover received any
thing in return for it.
REyoLUTIoNIST AND ANTIQUARIAN.
The career of Abadiano and the way in
which he came to make the collection is an
interesting one and is curiously identified
with the history Of Mexico under Diaz.
The dashing revolutionist and the young
antiquarian were strangely enough init
mate friends, and Abadiano was an officer
in Diaz' army when he was striving to
wrest the government from Lerdo-the
rightful president They fought and slept
and ate together and when they had sue.
ceeded and Diaz proclaimed ruler, the anti
uuarian retired from the army and returned
to his home in the City of Mexico. Here
his family had for over 200 years con-
Quoted large book store and he, in part
nership with his brother, now took charge
of it. But his antiquarian tastes and his
service in the army had untitled him for
business and he soon withdrew from tho
firm
Diaz had promised him an appointment
If the revolution succeeded and he now asked
for it, but the Office offered him was so
much lower than he thought he had right
to expect that he would not accept it He
then suggested that he make the casts that
have just been placed on the National mu-
scum and Diaz agreed to get the govern
ment to buy them to send to the New Or
leans exposition. This was the very thing
that suited the nature Of young Abadiano
and he put his whole soul into the work.
He determined to make the casts by the
most approved method and make them
model of their kind.
One can easily distinguish the difference
between the work of Abadiano and that of
Desire Charnay who made the much written
Of collection presented tU the museum Of
MIR. Lorillard of New York. In the former
you will notice that every little crack and
crevice, even the grain Of the stone, is
brought out with the greatest distinctness
DETAILS OF THE GELATINE PROCESS
This was done by what is known as tho
gelatine process and it is very expensive,
especially in a country like Mexico where
the material is scarce and has to be bought
in small quantities at the drug stores. The
stone of which a cast was to be taken
had to be securely boxed, and the hot gela-
tine poured into the vacant space between
the box and the stone. You can imagine
the difficulty of making cast when you
think Of stone weighing twenty-one tons
imbedded in the walls Of church, perhaps
sixty feet from the ground as was the cal
endar stone. A scadold had to be built,
the huge stone nicely divided and the cast
made pieco by piece.
The method used in making the Lorillard
collection is very siulp!e one, and the
most unlearned eye can see that it is very
inferior to that Of Abadiano. A piece of
common brown paper was dampened, laid
over the stone and hammered until an lm-
preston Of the characters were made. This
was continued until the layer of paper was
perhaps u quarter of an inch thick Then
it was left to dry and the cast made in
plaster of paris. Charnay made many fail
ures, and his collection consists altogether
of fat surfaces, while that of Abadiano in-
cludes specimens of every shape
Abadiano's work was nearly completed
when tide of i'll fortune suddenly overlook
him. After no had made two casts anu de-
stroyed his gelatine plates the Mexican gov
ernment decided that the expense would 10
too great and declined buying it. This was
a terrible blow, but the young antiquarian
decided to finish the work. This he did,
and carrying out the original plans OF the
Mexican government he carried it overland
to New Orleans at great expense, paying
the customs officer nearly Sl,OcD duty. On
arriving at INC eNpoSltion he uiu HUI pidce
Lis collection in the building, for that
would bring him in no revenue, but rented
q large storehouse in the French quarter,
ono of the most sparsely settled districts OF
the city, and there set it up. So slow did
the careful antiquarian work that by the
time he was ready to exhibit the exposition
was nearly over and many of the visitors
had left the city. Abaiiano was now
placed in serious predicament He had
spent his fortune on the collection and it