Gulf Coast breeze. [volume] (Crawfordville, Fla.) 1897-19??, 1898-02-18
OLDEST AMERICAN CITY.
REMARKABLE DISCOVERIES RECENT.
~ MADE AT coPAN.

structure ZOO Feet High.
The Central American explorer.
George Byron Gordon, contributes an
article entitled "rhc Mysterious Ci:y
OF Honduras to the Century. This
gives an account IT the recent remark
able discoveries made mt CoIau. Mr..
Gordon SAYS:
Hidden away among the mountains
Of Honduras, in beautiful valley
which, even IN that h,tle.trayc,ed
country, where rcmotrncss is II char
actcristic attribute 81 iaccs, is uuusu-
ally secluded, Copau is one of the
greatest mysteries of the ages. After
the publication, in 1870, of stephens
account o( his visit to the runs. which
made them known for the first time 10
the world, the interest awakened 10y
his graphic description, and the draw
ings that accompanied IT from thc
skilliul pencil of Cnthcrwool, re
laps ed, and until within the last de-
Cade writer's on the subject OF Amcri-
can archaeology were dependent en-
tirely for Information concerning
Copan upon the writings of stephens,
which were regarded 10y many with
skepticiSm and mistrlst. Not only do
the recent explorations confirm the Nc-
count given 10y stephens ~ regards
the magnitude and Importance OF the
ruins, but the collection of relies now
in the Peabody museum is sufficient
to convince the most skeptical that
here are the remains of city, un-
known To- history, Ms remarkable and
as worthy of our careful consideration
"A any of the ancient centres of ciyili-
zation in the Old World. Whatever
the origin Of its people, this old city
is distinctly American tho growth OF
American soil and environment. The
gloomy forest, the abode of monkeys
and jaguurs, which clothed the valley
at the time of stephens visit, was III
great part destroyed about thirty
years ago by acolony from Guatemala
who came TO plant III the fertile soil
of the valley the tobacco for which,
much more than for the ruins, that
valley IL famous throughout Central
America today. They left the trees
that grew upon the higher structures,
forming II picturesque grove, II REM
nant of which still remains--a few
cedars and ceibus of gigantic proper
tions, clustered about the ruins Of tho
temples shrouding them in IA somhre
shade, and sending their huge roots
al. Il
chambers and vaults and galleries of
the vast edifices.
The area comprised within the limits
Of the old city consists of II level plain
seven or eight miles long aud two
miles wide at the greatest. This plain
is covered with the remains of stone
houses, doubtless the habitntions Of
the wealthy. The streets, squares and
courtyards were paved with stone or
with white cement made from limo
and powdered rock, and the drainage
was accomplished 10y means of covered
canals and underground sewers built
of stone aud cement. On the slopes
of the mountains, too, are found nu-
merous ruins, and even on the high
est peaks fallen columns and ruined
structures may DO seen.
On the right bank Of the COpaE
river, in the midst Of the city, stands
the principal group Of structures-the
temples. palaces and buildings Qf u
public character. These form part of
what has been called, for want 81 II
better name, the Main Structure--a
vast, irregular pile, rising from the
plain III steps and terraces of masonry
and terminating in several great pyra.
midal elevations, each topped by the
remains of temple which, before our
excavations begun, looked like n huge
pile of fragments bound together 10y
the roots of trees, while the slopes OF
the pyramids and the teri aces aud
pavements below are strewn with the
ruins of these superb ediiices. This
huge structure, unlike the great pyra-
mids of Egypt and other works OF II
similar character, is not the embodi-
mcnt of definite idea, built in accor-
dance with "A precOnceiyed plan aud
for specific purpose, but IL rather the
complex result OF n long process Of de-
velopment, corresponding to the
growth of culture aud keeping pace
with the expanding tastes of the PEG.
pie or the demands Of their national
life. It's sides face the four cardinal
points; it, greatest length from north
To south is about eight hundred feet,
and from east TO west II measured
originally nearly rs much, but n part
Of the eastern side has been carried
away by the swift current OF the river
which flows directly against IT. The
interior Of the structure is thus ex-
posed in the form Of clin one hun
bred and twenty feet high. presenting
n complicated system Of buried walls
and floors down - the waters edge