Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1893-04-22

the elaborate illustrations Of Cather
wood, are heroic In size, the smallest
of the fourteen there found being
eleven, the largest sixteen feet high;
but all are alike in one respect, that
each is carved with an elaborateness
of design and particularly of detail
that excite the utmost establishment
as to the tools with which the work
was done, for as yet no traces of iron
have been found in these ruins, and
the copper implements were too soft
to have had much effect on the stone.
Not only in their architecture
aud sculpture, but also in theif
painting, these mound and temple
builders excelled, for, although the
colors are faded, the work shows no
little artistic taste and skill Of eXecu-
ton. The subject is generally bat
tie or a procession, sometimes eW'
IDENTIFY triumphal in character, show
ing that conquests in , merica before
the advent of the whites were com
memorated in the same way as con-
quests in the days of Trajan or the
military monarchs Of Nineveh. Above
all, as evidence Of high grade Of
civilization, are the innumerable
hieroglyphics everywhere to be found
on these ancient monuments. None
of them have as yet been deciphered,
but they indicate written language,
possibly literature, perhaps as com
plete as the annals which cover the
obelisks of Egypt or the slabs Of
Nimroud. They have nothing in
common with the Aztec picture paint
ing, which they antedate possibly
hundreds of years. When their mean
ing is deciphered, as in time perhaps
it may be, the annals of prehistoric
America will be unrolled for our in
spection and the vexed questions,
who were the mound builders,
whence they came, and what
were their adventures during their
long migrations, who were their
leaders and what dynasties OF
kings ruled when these great pyra-
mids were erected, may all be an
swered The prehistoric civilization
of which these ruins are the visible
trace reached its highest point In
Central America, where are found It's
most remarkable remains. In the
last fifty years the ruins Of oyer 700
cities have been identified as such,
and as each, judging from the indl-
cations, possessed a population OF
from 5, 200 TO 20, 900, the density with
which these regions were peopled
must have tasked even the incredible
fertility OF tropical soil. Until
lately these cities were unknown,
most Of them being located In forests
almost impossible TO penetrate, In
Tested with poisonous insects and
reptiles, and rendered d0ubly perllOus
boy the malarial diseases which al
most invariably attack unacclimated
strangers. In such district OF Hon
durns are found the ruins NJ COpan,
once "a great city but ruin even In
the time Of Curteh who passed within
few miles, but heard nothing % IT,
The palace 0f Copan isa gigantic ruin,
900 by 900 feet Ia extent, With "a
wall IS feet thick at the base, com
posed On enormous stones brought BY
uukunWa means from a quarry tw0
miles distant Close nf the palace
h che trmpIe, bullt uInn "A walled
terrace aal feet u0flh aul nuth bF
500 from east tuwrst aut fslng over
lNH ffet ttuta the rlNrf sh.ch lose
~ Nna nf a. tHIts usnf sl HNt poe
aHhle hat af Stone aefe amI.ngnl No
enc mHsffuetHH bal thH sFatt maH.
maHf sHls NlHM suH Hian h
aMHs 8HA tH.IIHHl fHHss HHlWs
slssls Na I'll uat "a atsli hsal