The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-02-28
MADAME LIE PLoNGEoN.
A Woman Whose Life Has Been Full
of Singular Hardships, Interests
and Successes.

One of the most distinguished women
travellers of the day is Alice LIE Plon-
geon, wife of the explorer, DR.. LIE Plon-
geon She has recently been honored
by request from the Geographical So
ciety of Paris for her photograph, to
place in it's album of celebrated travel
ers, in recognition of her services to
science q
Nine. LIE Plongeon was born in the
great CITY of London. Her girlhood
was as uneventful as that of most
maidens who are kept at their studies
and allowed verv few frivolous pleas
ures. Her ambition was to travel over
the world. When vet in her teens she
met DR.. LIE Plongeon in the libraries of
the British museum, he having jour
neyed thither from California for the
special purpose of studying certain old
Spanish manuscripts. Kindred tastes
drew together the learned man and
the SCHOOLGIRL.
Their wedding journey was . long
one-from England to Yucatan-and
Nine. LIE Plongeon has the distinction
of being the only woman who has lived
among the deserted and ruined cities
in the forests of Central America. Size
endured much hardship and escaped
numerous. dangers during her II years
really wonderful things discovered by
her husband and herself have fully re-
paid them for their years of hardship.
Just at present the two travellers are in
New York.
Perhaps the most wonderful of their
discoveries was the key to the inscrip-
tionS by means of which the history of
these cities. which were in ruins even
at the time of CorteZ' invasion, is no
longer a mystery.
One has but to read DR.. LIE Plon-
geon's latest book, Queen Moo and the
Egyptian Sphinx to be convinced that
America boasts of ruins which even
antedate some of Egyptian antiquity.
That DR.. LIE Plongeon discovered this
KEY is as much an event in the world
of science as the finding of the Rosetta
stone.
Nine. LIE Plongeon, by the way,
speaks Maya quite as fluently as En-
glish, and she relates many interest
ing incidents relative to the social
customs of Merida. tie CAPITAL of
Yucatan. 1t is by no means a dead
and buried city, but thoroughly alive.
The residences. MANY of them, are
handsome and spacious; the women
are noted for their beauty, which is of
the Spanish type Spanish is spoken
to q great extent. They dress beau
llIully III IIOChS WHICH are quite W. 10
date in every way, and many girls and
boys of the wealthy classes are sent
to the United States to be educated.
The carnival preceding Lent. is quite
as gay function at Merida as at New
Orleans or Nice.
Apropos to Queen Moo, she was one
of the rulers of the ancient MayaS, and
in connection with her history is the
interesting fact that the charred heart
~.
found by the LIE PlongeonS; it was in
a stone urn. placed within the statue
of the dead and departed Cob in his
mausoleum. The heart was preserved
III red oxide of mercury and has been
analyZed bv a chemist at the request
Of the president of the American An
tiquarian society. A photograph of
these relics, together with a thousand
others, all OF them taken by Nine. LIE
Plongeon, and tracinSs of the walls
and manv casts are counted among
her treasures.
beautifully preserved statue was
found by DR.. LIE Plongeon-one of the
most perfect ever discovered-but to
prevent its falling into the hands of
the Mexican authorities. who claimed
all notable finds" the statue was
hidden. and no one knows of its hiding
place TO this dav. but the doctor and
his wife. Possibly they may return
some dav and secure this and other
treasures.
The statue in question was found in
or near the ''nunnery''-a ruin contain
ing SIS rooms, and incloseing a court
over 200 feet square. The interior walls
are covered with elaborate sculptured
ornaments. Near the nunnery is the
Casa de Tortugas. so called from the
sculptured turtles over the doorway.
The QOV9rn0r'c no1aoo ic an0fbar n0fa-
worthy ruin. Most interesting, per-
haps, are the casas cerridas. or shut up
houses. These ruins have no access.