The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-02-14
A WONDERFUL STAIRWAY.
Remarkable Ruins Recently Discovered in
Central America.

George Byron Gordon, the explorer, in
the January Century gives an account of
recent discoveries at CopaD under the
| title of ''The Mysterious City of Hon
duras" Mr.. Gordon says:
The most extraordinary feature that
our excavations have yet brought to light
is the hieroglyphic stairway already re-
ferrei to. Facing the plaza at the south
ern end, it occupied central position on
| the western side of the high pyramidal
elevation that forms the northern wing of
| the main structure. Even in the sad
state of ruin in which we behold it now,
| it affords magnificent spectacle. What
must it have been in the days when it
| was entire, and reached from the floor of
| the plaza to the entrance of the temple
| that stood on the height leo feet abovel
When discovered, in 1894, this stairway
fallen from the temple, of which not one
stone remained upon another. The upper
part of the stairway itself had also been
thrown from it's place Jas if by an earth
quake, and lay strewn upon the lower
norton. When, at length, after months
Of labor, on which from fifty to 100 men
were employed, the fallen material was
cleared away, an acre of ground was Gov
cred with broken sculptures removed dur
ing the progress f the work, and the
lower steps were found unframed. In the
center of the stairway, at the base, is
throne or pedestal rising to the fifth step,
and projecting eight feet Sin front. The
DESIGN upon it's face is rich in sculpture
and delicate in detail. 1t is made up in
part of handsome faces, masks, death g.
heads, and scrolls. beautifully, carved,
and disposed with perfect symmetry, but
ensemble is perfectly unintelligible. On
the face of each step in the stairway is q
row of hieroglyphs. carved in medium re-
| lief, running the entire length. At in
| tervals in the ascent the centre is occupied
| by human figure of noble and com
manding appearance, arrayed in splendid
attire, seatedaon the steps. The upper
parts of all these figures were broken
away, but the. pieces of several were re-
covered and restored. On each side was
a solid balustrade two feet thick; the up
per parts of these were also broken away,
but by careful study and comparison,
enough was recovered to enable us to
make out the curious and complicated
design. Portrait-like busts issuing from
the laws of grotesque monsters, standing
out upon these balustrades and repeated
at regular intervals, formed their princi-
pal adornment.
Notwithstanding the arduous toll under
the aerce rays Of a tropical sun, the ex-
huming of this stairway, in the construc-
| ton of which the ancient sculptors ex-
hausted the resources of their art, was q
| fascinating labor, and was performed
under the constant stimulus of expecta.
| ton, and the excitement of discovery.
| When the last days work was done and
I stood upon the broken throne at the
base of the stairway, to take a last look
| st the scene of my labors. so familiar had
I grown with every feature of the place
| that it seemed to cost but little effort of
the mind to roll aside the mist that hid
the past and restore again the shattered
fabric. From my position l could see the
whole plaza, with it's monuments and
temple crowned pyramids. In front of
me the smooth cemented pavement
stretched away westward to range of
terraces that bounds it in that direction,
but leaves unobstruoted the view of the
mountains beyond the valley. In other
days the parting shafts of the sun struck
the temple and it's sculptured walls,
adorned with paint and stucco, flashed in
the light, until the shadows, mounting
the throne and climbing the stairway,
shot above the highest tower, and left the
CITY wrapped in gloom. For a moment
the peaks ST food dark and gigantic against
the dazzling sunset hues, crowned with
glory: then the colors faded rapidly
giving way to a pale glow above the
mountains with sudden darkness fell upon
the valley.
aware of long array OF shadows project
ed from the past Nor was 1t altogether
fancy.