The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1901-08-16
rRE HIsronlc rINp IN cosrA MICA
mre~ stone Figures ef Ezaeerate scssp'
ture, sbswirs Asiatie Featsres.

Thre~ stone Figures ef Fzaberate s~uip-
ture. showing Asissie Feassres.
Word has been received at the once OF
the Co-tN Rica Development Company.
operating a banana and rubber plantation
In Costa Rica. Of the discovery Of tbree
pieces of prehistoric stafuary on the com
pany's property. which. Il !. relieved
will b. ~ unusual interest tn archsoiogists.
The description, a. sent from Costa Rica.
IL As follows:
4 nrIi, II . man hight about i've f-rt csr,ed
frcm grsniv Inc nsufr - perfect ~ seoefsi ouuihe
sad Proportion. The fsee covered WIN q hessy
hard. head sura,oun,~d b. q efovn' sdotned hard
cfosSins ehes, dls xon,liy. In len hand. The ~psfiertiy
formed head ~ an infant. the fighi vvrloai from eihou
The muscular ~aeveiovnen' Is unusual In rs
execution and proportion. ms nEu'- weighs secu'
Loo pBund>. Also. . hkure NJ . woman. WIN va
TURF n a distinctly Monaghan vpe. ana n deoofs'ed
head ccrrrtnx In the shspe o, an inverted bowl. hang
ins from the thighs Is the head Of an infant The
ngufr IL broken above the urpsr part OF the UNA hone
There l. still another figure. smaller
than the other two; but beyond the TACT
that IL Il In equally good condition. the
description gives 10 other details. The
figures were found In front OF a quadri-
lateral s.venty-hvs feet on n side. cut
from stone which has not been found within
fifty miles Of this location. There had sppar-
entity been two entrances Ia the enclosures.
in one Of which was found a pile OF the
same stone. which had been brought To a
smooth finish. On one corner ~ the en-
closure stands a Tree Of slow growth and
unusual sire.
IL has been expected that some, such dis
coverie- as the above would be made.
~. el.x. -. .k..l.as saana that tho alta
Of the plantation had once been the centre
Of a large aboriginal population.
There ar. certain conditions In forest
growth which arc recognized In Costa
Rica a. showing that land had been under
cultivation In prehistoric time. n these
are always taken a. an indication Of good
soil. as the aborigines never cultivated
any but the hest. These conditions OBJ
tanned on the o~ompany's farm. There
were. moreover. a number Of elevated en-
closures similar 20 that where the figures
nave been found. A great number Of
fragments Of pottery have been dug up on
the place from time TO time. and aft-r every
heavy rain n road leading past these en-
closures Is literally red In places with
pieces OF aboriginal pottery.
II is 20 be noticed that two particulars
In the above description are OF interest rs
bearing upon the theory that Buddhist
priests from China visited the western
coast Of California and Mexico in the afth
century. The principal exponent OF this
theory. DIR. John Fryer. In a recent article.
speaks Of the northumberland claim
OF the present Buddhist mission TO America
TO be the SUCCESSOR and counterpart OF
an early mission which existed In the fifth
century and he calls attention to the
Ease Of making a trip from Asia To America.
along the Kurile and Aleutian islands TO
Alaska. following the great thermal ocean
current The particulars referred to are
the hand across the chest n the bowl
shaped headpiece. unusually distinctive
signs Of Asia,ic training or association in
the prehistoric sculptor.
II must he noted. however. that these
signs are partially nset 10y the fact that
the figures were found on the east side Of
Costa Rica. about twenty-five miles from
the Caribbean Sea. but. as the isthmus Is
only about ono hundred and sixty miles
broad there. from Atlantic To Pacific. and
a. the statuev were found In the valley
which serves as the location Of the Mica
raguan Canal. where the greatest elevation
following the navigable river courses IL
only 10 feet. tho distance need not have
counted for much with travellep who
had already made a journeyrom a mon
astery In China
This is only the second discovery Of large
pieces Of prehistoric sculpture In Costa
Rica The first was mad about twenty
miles away from the present find, INC CON
sisted Of the figure Of a man about the
same size a. those described above II l.
now in tho Museum 81 Natural History.
The carving l. Of a much ruder and simpler
nature. II the la-, discovered figures are
a. elaborate ~ the dispatches from Costa
RIGA seem 10 show, this will be- the FIRST dis
covery 90 sculpture to compare az all with
the aboriginal remains 81 Yucatan.